Being A Host Was Truly Unexpected
by Concord12
Summary: Hikigaya Hachiman once wished for 'something' during his daily struggle in life. Something that was even bigger than himself. Now, grown up and mature, he now believes that 'something' will never come, simply because it was an impossible dream. But what if he was not only destined for that 'something', but for 'something' even greater?
1. Prologue

**Prologue - Arc 1: A Hint Of What Is To Come**

"...Remind me again why we're hiding in this bush?"

"Kraue. This is the 5th time in less than 30 minutes you've asked that question. Were you listening during the first four times?"

"It's not my fault these chocolate brownies are so good!"

"Proposition. Then stop eating them when I'm telling you something."

"Mmm-hmm? Sommy, mmhat did you may?

"Exasperation. Like now!"

"Ssshhhh! Will the two of you stay quiet? We are trying to remain undetected by the denizens of this world!"

"As long as you let me eat these brownies in peace, I'm fine with that."

"Worried. But how long will it take for us to find a host? My calculations state that within the next 15 minutes, we'll die without the necessary resources to sustain ourselves."

"Well, both of you will die. I'll stay alive."

"Answer. Just because your biologically structured doesn't mean you can survive. You'll eventually become dormant, just like me and Psi."

"Okay, okay, fine, but we still need a host. Seen anyone yet?"

"Negative. Even with these eyes, I can't see any intelligent life signs."

"Even if you didn't mean it, that still wounds me deep inside."

"Noted. I'll take that into account."

"Ok thanks. Anyway, what are these droplets that keep falling from the sky?"

"Scanning. According to this world research, these are droplets made up of molecules called H2O, normally called water. Apparently, it's part of this world's weather, called 'rain'. Recommended action: Seek shelter."

"We're in a bush. Oddly enough, this 'rain' is… refreshing. It's doesn't seem threatening or dangerous. It even helped us to land safely. I guess it was this world's method of transport."

"I'm opposed against that. This rain is causing slight damage to my systems."

"Wel, Psi doesn't seem affected at all."

"I do not have a physical body. How am I supposed be affected? Wait, over there! It is a human!"

"Identifying. Male, about 1.72 metres, black hair, slouching and coming this way!"

"Is he compatible?"

"Unsure. Err… I think so. Maybe a 6/10."

"That is too low! We could potentially kill him!"

"He also has numerous cuts and bruises and a laceration on his upper torso. He's heavily injured."

"No wonder he is staggering. Do all of this world's creatures walk like this?"

"Answer. Only the bipedal, intelligent ones like him. Due to his state, compatibility level has dropped to 3."

"Ummm… I don't want to interrupt you two, but we have about a minute left."

"We cannot do this! The risk is too large, you know what happens to those with incompatible hosts!"

"It's our only chance! We don't have enough time!"

"...All right then, on three."

"Ok."

"Acknowledged."

"Three!"

"Question. Wha-?"

"Guaahh!"

* * *

 **Concord's note:** I'm back. After several long months, I'm finally publishing a new story.

Some of you may recognize me, though I'm not as popular, just a newbie author. This is actually a different account underneath the same name as my other account had some difficulties. The two other stories, 'My Tipping Point" and "Evolved" are now underneath the name Maelstrom590, which is the name for my other account.

Firstly, I want to apologize for my last two stories. I haven't updated my second one and my first brought both positive and negative reviews from you readers. Kind of sucked for a while, but after being away for so long I forgot all about them.

Secondly, the next author's note will be at the end chapter 5 since the first few chapters will be published as a set. So read through and tell me what you think of this. By the way, this is not a crossover with any other worlds out there since I made this whole world up from reading a few books.

Thirdly, regarding the words of the different characters in this book, normal words will be them talking normally. Those in italics are meant when other characters are speaking… I don't want to give any spoilers so read and hopefully, you'll get what I'm trying to say.

Well, that's all I have to say. Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - Arc 1: Tempestuous Weather And Comfortable Benches**

Unfortunately, it was raining.

As much as I liked the rain, I just had to forget my umbrella. I guess today was the day. The one where you wake up, see your umbrella lying on your desk and think, "I carried this with me everyday for the past 2 weeks and it hasn't rained. Maybe I can leave this behind today since it's not likely for the clouds to start pouring." And the moment you reach school, suddenly the clouds start pouring heavily and you wonder what you did throughout your whole life so far to earn this.

Upon reaching my classroom, I walked through the door and went to desk and chair, plopping myself down and laying my head on the table. My eyes swept around the classroom, seeing random people talking everywhere (Are they even in my class?), especially the oh-so-very-familiar clique of Hayama Hayato. Fortunately, everyone was too occupied to notice me, in all my drenched glory.

I groaned and took out my book, another one of those 'isekai' light novels that I recently started reading. My eyes scanned the neatly printed Japanese characters contrasted against the white pages of the book. A true work of literature it would have been, had it not been for the overused amount of cliches and self-insert character. Seriously, author-san, were you that desperate?

After 2 minutes of reading, the rain outside had worsened immensely, causing students to comment on the weather and the accuracy of the weather forecaster. A note, said forecaster was for some reason, _very_ inaccurate. You preached on how today would be all sunshine and clear skies, but you didn't even hit close to the mark.

Sure, a sudden heavy rain after two weeks of clear skies seemed unusual, but anything can happen, right?

As the teacher walked in and the chattering stopped, I put the book underneath my desk and stood up, preparing for another day of sleep.

* * *

Once again, like always, I headed outside the classroom the moment school ended, intent on waiting for Yuigahama Yui around the corner.

Shortly after I reached our meeting spot, Yuigahama turned the corner and hit me lightly with her bag.

"Again?"

"Hikki, you meanie! I didn't even get to talk to you today."

"What's wrong with that? And how is it my fault?"

In response, she 'hmmphed!' and started to walk towards the club room. In two actions, apparently she answered both my questions and left me behind. I'll never understand what goes on in that head of yours.

I walked behind her, following her footsteps even though I didn't really need to. Slowly, the halls emptied as students and teachers went to wherever they needed to go, whether it was to the staff rooms, home or clubs. That got me thinking, what does Hiratsuka do after school? Does she go straight home or to a random bar she was invited to, only for the inviter to not show up and leave her into becoming drunk by herself? Whatever it is, I'm sure am glad sh-.

"Hikigaya!"

"Senpai!"

Continue walking normally. Pretend to not have hea-.

"Senpai, I know you can hear us!", the second voice called out loudly from behind. Yuigahama, who was in front of me, turned around and, most likely, saw me being chased by two demons. "Hikki?"

"Yuigahama, could you ask Hikigaya to turn around?"

"Ne, Hikki, didn't you hear Sensei?" With a vice-like grip, she locked her arms around mine and pulled me towards her, causing me to stumble slightly. There's only one course of action now.

Walk faster. With enough velocity, I could outr-.

"Oi, Hikigaya, stop trying to run away. We both know your strength stat is so low you'd never be able to run fast enough to escape me."

I beg your pardon, but this isn't an anime game Sensei. If it was though, millions of people would sadly shake their heads in sympathy, watching me attempting to escape from two devils before I'm viciously overworked and exhausted from the horrendous labour they would no doubt put me through.

I slowly turned around, knowing that I would see Hiratsuka and Isshiki coming towards me, my teacher and student council president. Hoh, what has thou sought from the sovereign, gl-?

"Hikigaya, stop grinning so repulsively."

Ouch. Those devastating words inflicted massive damage.

Isshiki walked right up to my face and looked up at me. "Senpai-", she started off her, but I cut her off mid-sentence.

"Student council work, am I right?"

"That's right! Senpai, how did you know?"

"What else could it have been?". As soon as those words left my mouth, I felt a tug on my arm and noticed Yuigahama with both of her arms still wrapped around mine.

"Ummm… Hikki, will you take long?", she asked, red tinted on her cheeks. I felt myself blushing as well due to her face. S-stop this magic Yuigahama? That came out wrongly? Why am I asking random questions? Meanwhile, out of the corner of my eye, I could see Isshiki looking back and forth at the two us.

A loud cough was enough to snap the three of us back to to reality. Hiratsuka stood there, her hand taking out a cigarette from her pocket. "Hikigaya, I need your help to carry some papers that to the staff room. After that, feel free to help Isshiki here." She took out a lighter with her other hand and lit her cigarette, putting it between her lips and inhaling deeply. Sensei, should you really be doing it in front of the three of us? Second-hand smoking can kill, you know?

"Ah, will, will it take long?", Yuigahama asked again? This time, her question was directed at the two of them. Yuigahama, I'm grateful for your concern, but understand that them being them, my only option is to the 'yes' option despite my desperation of heart to voice out the opposite

"Depends on how fast we'll finish."

"Yuigahama, go ahead and tell Yukinoshita that I had to help Sensei and Isshiki."

"Ah, okay."

"..."

"Yuigahama-san, your arms…"

As fast as lightning, her arms flew behind her back. "I'm going now. Bye Hikki!". With that, she sped away.

I looked back at the duo, only to see one with her cheeks puffed up and the other shaking her head.

"Hikigaya…"

"Senpai!"

What did I do?

* * *

Another 3 hours of grueling work later, it was still raining. As usual, Isshiki's work took a large amount of time, due to her chatting and not actually helping.

Now, I was walking home, not riding my bicycle in fear of slipping and falling. It seems as though the rain had only worsened. Although, the weird thing was that there were no lightning strikes. I mean, not all rainy us needed lightning, but with one this heavy, it should have been included, right?

Well, I'm not a weather expert, so there's probably a scientific explanation behind all this.

I kept walking amidst the heavy water droplets that limited my visibility greatly. In one hand, I held the umbrella tightly over my head to prevent it from flying away. In the other, I held the handlebars of my bike as I rolled it along by my side.

"Komachi, your Onii-chan is going to take a loooooong time coming home.", I whispered, "Please don't think it was about Yuigahama and Yukinoshita."

For some reason, she always had a look of understanding whenever I came home late because of club activities. Am I not understanding whatever it is I'm suppose to understand?

"Seriously, am I even going the right way?", I muttered.

Without warning, I heard a shot and flinched. Within seconds, I found myself surrounded my a group of armed thugs, wearing black and a variety of weapons.

One of them pointed to the bike and my pockets. "Hey, kid.", he menacingly said, "Hand over the bike, phone and wallet."

Being robbed, I couldn't calm the anxiety in my heart and stuttered. "Uh, o-okay-"

"Now!"

I quickly pushed the bicycle towards them, watching it roll and fall down due to lack of support. The thugs laughed and I used that time to scan my surroundings. My left side was facing a park while the thugs stood in a semicircle on my right. If I could, I could attempt to run inside, but I didn't want to risk them catching me or worse, using a gun to shoot me.

This was much, much worse than getting hit by a car. I took short and fast breaths as my heart started pumping unnaturally.

"Hey kid, now the phone and wallet." He drew a gun and pointed it straight at me. "Slowly."

I withdrew my wallet and laid it at my feet. One half of me was telling me I should do it as fast as I could and tell the police straight away. The other half told me to try running into the park and hope that with all this rain, they wouldn't be able to hit me with their firearms.

Due to me taking too much time, the leader of the group, or at least the one with the most authority here, snarled and motioned his head towards one of the members.

Immediately, he stepped towards me and punched me in the stomach, then did an uppercut on my face. I fell down, pain racketing all over my body as the others stepped forward and started kicking and stepping me. I curled up into a ball and tried to defend myself, but with each contact their feet made with my body, pain shooting up into my brain.

After they were done, the leader looked down on me, bleeding and bruised heavily from the beatings. "I'll ask you one more time. Give. Me. The. Phone."

My mouth was dry, despite water landing every on me. I needed to get out. To run. Tell someone. I would die, I ne-.

Still curled up in a ball, I heard the sound of something falling down next to me, as well as the surprised voices of the other thugs. I opened my eyes, only to see a dart sticking out of the neck of the leader.

There was no blood present, but in my panic, I scrambled away from the guy. Another thug saw me and took a step towards me. "Hey, y-."

Another dart appeared on the side of his neck. He fell down with a splash and lost consciousness, but not before uttering a few words.

"Get the kid! Get the f-!"

He may not have finished the second part of the sentence, but the others clearly understood the first: their target was in front of them. They started to run towards me and I ran the other way as fast as I could. The pain was overwhelming and my brain was telling me to 'STOPSTOPSTOP' every second. Nevertheless, I kept on running. First a car accident, now this?

I was panicking. The person who fired the darts seemed to have stopped shooting them and that was bad because they were about two other thugs in my tail. I didn't even know how they weren't catching up with me, but I didn't want to look back at this point. I kept running, hoping to see someone else who could help me.

I heard a 'CRACK!' sound and saw something flying towards me. In my pain, all I could do was move a bit to the right, the object barely touching me and causing me to fall down. I heard shouts of pain behind me and I just stayed on the ground, unmoving.

For some reason, I wasn't in any pain. Rather, I felt the sudden urge to sleep, the laziness telling me to close my eyes and lie down and just have 5 more minutes of sleep. School could wait, what was there to do at school? Being a loner, I went there to study, eat, go to club, go home, repeat. 5 more minutes Komachi, your Onii-c-.

Komachi. My eyes jotted open and I felt the pain return. If thoughts were power, then I would have had unlimited. As I struggled to stand up, I thought about my dear imouto. Kom-machi. I-I'm coming h-home. I c-can't sleep j-just yet cause something's telllllling y-your Onii-c-chan I c-can't.

Without knowing it, I was silently whispering those words as I put one foot over the other, my arms dangling by my sides. My breathing was laboured and my vision was blurred, my limbs were aching and my brain was telling my that I should sleep.

Was I going to die here?

Oh look. A p-park b-bench. I, m-maybe I-I could rest for a second…


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Arc 1: Hikigaya Hachiman Is Abnormal**

" _Is he awake? Or, more importantly, alive?"_

" _His heart beats, but his eyes aren't open. He could be in a state of unconsciousness."_

" _Hope he gets up. The longer this takes, the longer I have to wait to eat those brownies."_

" _Wha-, who are you?", I asked. I was lying down on a park bench, drops of rain still falling down from the sky. My vision was still hazy, although the sky looked dark. "Where am I?"_

" _Oh, these questions. Every single time."_

" _Hey, don't listen to him."_

 _A flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Time slowed down as raindrops hung motionless in the air. I blinked once…_

" _Wake up."_

… and I blinked again, my vision suddenly becoming clear. There was no rain, nor any dark sky. Instead, I was looking up at a ceiling light and I instinctively scrunched up my eyes. I sat up slowly, ignoring the aching of my back as I moved.

It took me sometime to figure out that I was sitting on the couch in my living room. What was I doing here? Shouldn't I have been outside?

"Onii-chan?"

Immediately, I whirled around, only to come face-to-face with a face I'd recognised no matter where I was. Komachi stood there, surprised by my sudden movement.

"Ne, Onii-chan, are you okay?"

I breathed in and out slowly. "I, when did I get here?"

Komachi frowned. "Uhh… Komachi doesn't know. She came home to find you sleeping here."

Ignoring the fact that she spoke in third-person, I frantically looked around. "I'm fine. Just a bit tired and confused like how you are after you wake up.", I said unconvincingly.

"You look pale though. Your clothes and body are also as wet. Did you not bring your umbrella? What happened?", she frantically asked.

"Just… feeling a little bit under the weather. I'll go up now."

I got off the couch, only to suddenly fall as my knees gave way. I managed to stop myself using my hands, but that didn't stop Komachi from moving.

"Onii-chan! What happened! Did you get into a fight or something?"

I looked down on my clothes. They were tattered, torn and dirtied in several places. My shirt was also untucked and crumpled immensely, as though I had worn it for several weeks and not ironed it once. There were also bruises and cuts on my skin and I could feel blood flowing out of them. I could also taste in my mouth the uncommon taste of copper.

My memories came back to me. I remembered being surrounded by some people and getting robbed. I remembered that I ran into the park, where I was slowly getting tired. Then, something flew towards me and hit those people behind me.

Komachi ran towards me, fully observing the state that I was in. To make a long story short, she was panicked and distressed.

This is why I'm not that worried about the future. If I can't find anyone, I'll always have Komachi.

"Onii-chan! Make sure you report this to the police, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've got it. I'm going up now."

"Okay! Be sure to come back down for dinner! Kyaaah, the line just scored me a lot of Komachi points!"

I weakly smiled to myself, suddenly feeling very tired, as though as I had run a marathon. I made sure Komachi didn't see it. No doubt it would meet all the conditions to be categorised underneath the 'gross' category. I stood up and walked to my room, grasping onto the wooden railings as I made my way to my bedroom.

I opened the door and fell down on my bed. What happened after club?

I recalled the events from earlier. I didn't go to club, but rather, I had to help Sensei and Iroha with their teacher and student council work respectively. Then, I walked home when I, when a group of people mugged me.

I racked my brains harder. What happened after? A dart, shots, yelling, a chase through the rain, panicked, tired, falling asleep on a bench, then…

Then I arrived here. But how? Was it possible it was all a dream and I confused it with reality? But that wouldn't explain my clothes and the memory loss. Some kind of neurological disease? There could be something out there that fit.

I sighed, falling back onto my bed. I would ask Sensei, Iroha and Yuigahama tomorrow whether what happened happened. Also, surely the police or a random civilian heard or saw what happened and it would appear in the news tomorrow. Today sure was weird.

" _It's, sorry, but it's going to get much weirder."_

I yelped, jumping to my feet as I twirled around, desperately searching for the source of the sound.

" _Look, uh, everything's going to be… fine, I guess?"_

" _Nice job."_

"Who the heck are you?", I shouted.

"Onii-chan?"

" _Quick, Mr. Host guy! Say something! Don't let her come up!"_

"Komachi! Is there someone at the door?"

"No. Why?"

" _Oh man, this is bad. I, um, uh-"_

" _Engaging last resort."_

As I was attempting to find the source of the voices, my vision turned dark and I blacked out for the second time that day.

* * *

" _Hello? Mr. Host? Are you awake?"_

I opened my eyes weakly, this time lying on my bed. I sighed and turned to my side. Great, another symptom. First memory loss, now imaginary voices. "They'll go away. Hopefully tomorrow."

" _Apologies. But we are not going anywhere."_

I sighed again, feeling my lifespan shorten. 'If you can't beat them, join them', someone once said. Might was well entertain whoever's talking.

"Yo. So, who are you?"

" _Once again, my apologies. My name is Psi, the other to being Kraue and Ava. We are the beings currently residing in your head."_

"Nice to meet you. I'm Hikigaya Hachiman." It felt weird, giving my name to nothing. Maybe too much MAX COFFEE was bad after all.

Wait, that's heresy to MAX COFFEE! Betrayal! Forgive me, cans full of sweetened heaven!

" _Likewise. I apologise, for the third time, might I add, for this, but you really need to be informed of this urgent matter."_

" _Now? Can't we let him rest?"_

" _Agreed. His body needs sufficient sleep."_

"Two more voices. That guy wasn't lying.", I muttered.

" _Hello to you to. I'm Kraue."_

" _Ava."_

"...Nice to meet you three. Goodnight." As the saying goes, 'a good night's rest a day keeps the strange things away."

Sadly, the next morning, things got even weirder.

"Excuse me. Could you please get up?"

A sharp object tapped my shoulder. I rolled the other way. "Soon, just a few more seconds."

No sooner had I said that than something picked me up and shook me, dropping onto the bed a very awake me. I looked up at he perpetrator. "What do yo-?"

I stopped my sentence mid-way, my mouth frozen. In front of me was something I couldn't imagine.

A sharp, elongated head like a lizard's looked at me, a tongue flickering in and out of its mouth. It's skin made out of green scales and it's hands, no, claws, contained sharp, black fingers that occasionally bent as though he would grab something, then relaxed. It was probably taller than me by a margin and it was slightly hunched over to avoid the ceiling fan.

Behind it, inspecting my bookshelf, was a sort of humanoid, bipedal robot. It was a little bit rusted on some parts of its body and whenever it moved it's joints, a creaking sound was made. Although I couldn't see it's front as it wasn't facing me, it's face was emitting a blue light that slowly went over the books, as though it was scanning them. A regular beeping sound came from it, about every 3 or so seconds.

Thirdly, and I already felt like falling back asleep, was a strange, blue mist the kept circling around underneath the fan.

Like a small, weaker tornado, the mist went round-and-round, caught up in the wind produced from the fan. Small objects that I imagined as dust were visible and for a moment, I thought I heard a small voice yelling, "Leeeet meee oooouuuuut!"

"..."

"I'm going back to sleep.", I muttered, "Please don't bother me."

"Wait Mr. Host guy, we need your help!", the creature exclaimed, shaking me roughly, "How do we turn of that, that device in the, white sky?"

"You mean the fan in the ceiling?"

"Whatever's making Psi spin, yes!"

The robot turned and, for the first time, I saw its face. Its eyes were switching between blue and green and its voice was coming from three, vertical lines where one's mouth would usually be. "I have scanned all of these books. None of them contain any information on how to turn off the contraption."

When it talked, a red colour appeared within its mouth, glowing more intense the louder its voice was. It also sounded like a robotic, female voice.

Wait a second, that's my manga collection you were scanning!

"Heeelp!"

The sudden cry brought me back to the issue and I jumped of the bed, running to the door to turn off the switch.

Immediately, the fan started to slow down, allowing the blue mist to gather in one place. It started to bunch up together until I could register two, distinct eyes within it.

It looked at me. "Thank you!", it exclaimed, "I am most eternally grateful fo-!"

"Stop right there.", I told it. It wasn't the fact that it was something extra-terrestrial, or that I had three of them, maybe two because of the robot, in my room. No, it was the fact that without a mouth, I could hear it speaking. "How are you speaking?"

Years of observation taught me to read a person's eyes accurately, such as their feelings and thoughts and whatnot. It wasn't always accurate, but definitely more than the average riajuu. From this blue mist's eyes, it looked personally affronted.

"I do not speak using words nor voice. No, I speak inside one's mind. I am a Mind-class Parasite! To do such an act is most trivial to me."

The robot looked at the mist. "Affirmed. By the way, this world's knowledge is very interesting."

"Ok, let's stop with all this chattering.", the green creature said, holding out a claw in what I presumed to be a gesture for a handshake. "I'm Kraue. Nice to meet you. That person over there," he said, pointing at the robot, "is Avalaon, Ava for short. The third one is Psi, the one trapped by the 'fan'."

"Greetings."

"Hello."

I stared at the three of them and they stared back. No wonder they were waiting for me to speak, whether it was out of politeness or nervousness. After a long time, I finally made a conclusion for the bizarre sight.

"Is this all in my head?", I wondered out loud. "Have I become high?"

Did I really piss of Yukinoshita that much that she drugged me? Or was it Hiratsuka, who I had angered too many times? I'm sorry Sensei about that love-letter joke, but please don't take your revenge too far!

The green creature, Kraue, answered my questions. "We were, for the night, in your head, but what exactly do you mean by high?"

I ignored the last part. "What do you mean in my head?"

"Oh. Well, as Psi stated, we are Parasites, living, microscopic organisms that live inside your head. W-."

He stopped mid-sentence as the robot, Ava, stopped moving. "Attention. We have company."

"Onii-chan! It's almost 8!"

I would recognise that voice from anywhere, but the other things wouldn't. As such, the mist, Psi, stopped moving, Kraue readied his claws and faced my door, bracing himself for the oncoming threat. Meanwhile, Ava took out gun and steadily aimed it.

Kraue held up three fingers. "On the count of three! One-."

"Wait that's my sister!", I frantically whispered to them, causing them to turn and look at me, dumbfounded at the word.

"Sister?"

The door banged open and Hikigaya Komachi stormed into the room. After last night's events, she couldn't conceal her concern for her brother's welfare that well, as shown by the sudden entrance into the his room. He was most likely tired and exhausted, so he probably slept in late. She had gotten up early to make a healthy and energy-filled breakfast and gone up to wake her brother. Nearing the door, she heard her brother's voice as well as 2 others.

However, she walked into her Onii-chan's room, empty save for him on his bed, looking surprised at the sudden entrance.

"Onii-chan, you're going to be late for school! By the way, I heard voices. Is there anyone else here?"

I shook my head. "N-nope. None at all."

I was confident in my loner skill of lying efficiently, but it seemed to malfunction whenever I was near Komachi, who was probably a walking lie-detector.

She started at me for a moment, before clapping her hands. "Okay! If Onii-chan says so. You're also going to come late for school, so hurry and deliver Komachi to her's!"

Komachi how many times do I have to remind you to not to refer to yourself in third-person?

"I'll be down there. You can eat without me."

"Hai!"

Despite her senses telling her nothing was wrong, she swore that she had seen something disappear into her Onii-chan's head.

After she closed the door, I heard a voice ask me a question in my head. " _What's school?"_

"Somewhere I need to go."

" _That doesn't make any sense."_

"Nothing is making any sense. Besides, where did you go?"

" _We have traveled back into your brain. Presently, we are residing there."_

"Really. In my brain?"

" _Most certainty."_

"Why are you acting so formal?"

" _Am I not suppose to?"_

Prioritising the things I needed to do before I went out of the house, I washed my face, changed into my school clothes, brushed my teeth, ran downstairs and grabbed a sandwich. Then, I ran out to get to my bicycle, only to see Komachi outside waving another sandwich.

Komachi, whoever you end up with is going to be an extremely lucky person. Please stay with me forever!

Literally, in the back of my mind, I heard a sigh of exasperation. " _Siscon."_ , a female voice muttered.

Hey, I don't need another person calling me that! And where did you learn it in the first place? My manga?

* * *

After dropping Komachi off at her school, I rode towards mine. The streets were somehow emptier than usual today, which was a relief since I would have gone into an accident if there were more cars around. Why?

Because cycling while trying to speak to three voices in your head is much harder than you can imagine.

" _What's a siscon?"_

" _Apparently, it's what our Host is."_

" _Sooooo… what is it? As in the definition."_

"Can you guys stop talking?", I asked, narrowly preventing myself from slipping into the road. "It's distracting."

" _Most certainly! I shall remain silent, as should these two."_

I reached school and parked my bike, walking up to my classroom. I wasn't hearing anything from the three weird things inside my head.

" _That's rude."_

Rats. Must have thought of that out loud.

" _Incorrect. You spoke inside your head."_

Well, not only do I have a tendency to occasionally speak my thoughts out loud, now three entities can hear everything inside my head.

And standing outside my classroom door, listening to the voices and chatter floating out of the door, I only had one, absurd and confusing thought in my head.

How am I taking all of this so well?


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Arc 1: A Fourth Introduction**

Classes passed quickly, teachers came and went and the clock hands moved ever so slowly from one number to the next, going clockwise just to reach 12 and starting over again.

I kept myself underneath the radar, using Stealth Hikki to the max. Keeping my head low and body slouched helped me to stay hidden from the eyes of these riajuus. They'd never know someone more observant than they could ever possibly imagine was skulking around.

On one hand, I could consider myself lucky. In light of the fact that I am a high-functioning and proud loner, nobody was talking to me or even remotely looking at me.

On the other, if this isn't a dream, and a very realistic one it would be, I basically had an alien, robot and blue dust inside my head. Also, they proved to be effective distractions.

* * *

" _Hey."_ , Kraue suddenly spoke up after seeing my science teacher write something on the board. " _What are dominant alleles?"_

This was the 6th time my train of thought was interrupted. How am I supposed to answer that in my head while listening to the teacher? At this rate I'll have to study everyday! Vita-Chan time is something I absolutely cannot replace!

" _And what's the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?"_

I groaned and slammed by head in the desk, quietly of course. The last thing I needed was the teacher to ask me why I wasn't paying attention. I doubt the 'I'm talking to these entities speaking inside my head' excuse helps, despite my skill to quickly produce one. Credits to Hiratsuka-sensei.

* * *

I waited at my usual corner for Yuigahama, leaning against the wall. Thankfully, the talking in my head stopped after lunch and I had the rest of the day in silent bliss. Might have to add a few more skills to my current 108. Like the ability to tune out long, pointless blabber about the atrocities of today's homework or an apologetic rejection to a so-called 'confession'.

Speaking of which, how would I be able to stay normal with two of my closest friends?

"Yahallo Hikki!"

Yuigahama ran up to me, her peach-dyed hair moving up and down as well as her c-

" _Host. Please refrain from staring unnecessarily."_

I yelped at Ava's sudden voice, causing Yuigahama to stop in her tracks. "I wasn't looking!"

"Uuaaahh! H-Hikki?"

"Ah, Yuigahama, I was talking to myself!"

" _Apologies. What do you mean?"_

"W-where were you-?"

"Nothing! Nowhere! I was just daydreaming."

Yuigahama's face told me that she doubted my words. Yuigahama, please don't look at me like that. A small piece of my heart may break off, but it's still a piece.

"Nevermind Hikki, let's go!", Yuigahama reminded me, grabbing onto my arm and pulling it. "Yukinon's waiting for us!"

I was left to the mercy of Yuigahama, who dragged me towards our destination. Meanwhile, Ava was still confused.

" _Question. What is she talking about?"_

"Later." It would be a real problem if someone were to find out.

We soon arrived in front of the club door. Above, the white sign was covered in stickers, the kind that you could buy at a nearby grocery store. I wonder who would go through the trouble to adorn the sign?

A tap in the shoulder made me turn my head towards Yuigahama, who was fidgeting nervously with her bag straps. I could tell she was anxious about something, yet I couldn't figure out why.

"Umm, Hikki, about Yukinon…"

"Yuigahama, say no more." It figures it would be about that. It's only unfortunate that you've been dropping all those hints and she still hadn't picked them up, you knooooooooww?

"Hikki! It isn't a-anything like you imagined!"

Yuigahama, I get it. Anyone would be embarrassed over such a thing.

"Baka!"

With that, Yuigahama entered the room, revealing a familiar figure sitting at the end of the table. Truly, it would be much unusual if she wasn't present. I'd start to think the whole world was ending or that someone was playing a massive prank on me.

"Yuigahama-san." Yukinoshita nodded her head to her as she sat down at the middle of the table. For some reason, I got the feeling that something was wrong…

"Yukinoshita? I'm here too, you know."

"Would you like to have some tea, Yuigahama-san?"

Oi, it's plainly obvious I'm being ignored here!

I sat down and opened my book, intending to focus solely on reading it.

Psi was the first one to speak up. " _This literature… It draws you in, grasping your concentration like a clamp to force you to pay attention. The placement of words, vocabulary… no wonder."_

" _In short, the book's nice?"_

" _Interesting."_

"Would you please stop talking?"

As soon as those words left my mouth, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita stopped and looked up at me with questioning gazes.

"Hikigaya-kun, would you please repeat that again?"

" _Scanning. This person evidently contains good manners. Perhaps you could learn from her."_

I ignored her. "Sorry, I was just talking to myself."

"Oh? Were you imagining yourself in the place of one of the characters inside?"

"I was admiring this amazing piece of Japanese literature. It stands on a sur…"

"I'm assuming that's similar to one of the novel's your friend writes?"

Yuigahama laughed nervously. Another usual event. A banter between me and Yukinoshita while Yuigahama sits and observes us both.

"W-well, it's not one of his…"

My voice trailed off as I subtly went back to reading my book.

" _Oof. You lost."_

"A tactical retreat isn't considered one."I lowered my voice to avoid any more misunderstandings.

For the next few minutes, I read quietly, waiting for nothing and no one in particular, until out of my peripheral vision, something moved. I looked up and saw Yuigahama sitting next to me.

I almost recoiled back from the surprise but managed to stay seated. When did she get here? I You wouldn't happen to have developed some inherited Yuigahama skill from your mom, did you?

I asked the most obvious question. "Yuigahama, what are you doing here?"

A voice cleared its owners throat. "I'd also like to know as well." Her voice, though, seemed a little… off. "You could catch the Hikigermia."

No wonder. She was worried for Yuigahama's sake. Still, there's nothing to catch from me since there's no such disease named that.

Yuigahama squirmed uncomfortably. "Ah, Hikki, could you, I mean, would you…?"

She suddenly wrapped her arms around mine, making me gulp. I couldn't see Yukinoshita due to me focusing on the dire situation, but she was probably thinking-.

"Y-Yuigahama-san, I'd advise you unwrap your arms around Hikigaya-kun."

Yukinoshita's words didn't deter Yuigahama from doing that. Instead, I could feel the blood stop rushing to my arm as she held tighter. Yuigahama, don't you know every part of the body needs oxygen to function and survive? I'm not ready to have a hook and an arm so early in my life.

" _Question. What's happening?"_

" _Something fishy. Host, you're a lucky person."_

I don't consider this lucky.

Psi spoke up. " _Although, something is fishy…."_

Yuigahama, as the person I knew, wasn't this assertive. I didn't really peg her as that, but she was like this is yesterday during my confrontation with Hiratsuka and Isshiki.

I went back to reality and immediately wished to go back within the depths of my mind. Yuigahama's puppy eyes proved to be as effective as Komachi's. Seriously, this weapon is criminal! Heck, you can search 'weapons' online and you won't get a single piece of information on this. Black market trade?

"Hikki, could you go to my house after club?"

…

I felt the full force of a blizzard surrounding me, giving me goosebumps and chilling my spine. I also heard the cracking sound of metal and wires, as though someone had crushed something with their bare hands. I wouldn't be surprised if it disintegrated into atoms and molecules already. I'd be more surprised if it hadn't.

Meanwhile, I registered sobbing in my head that was also whispering quietly. If I had to guess what it was saying, it would go along the lines of " _F**kin bastard. That lucky so-"_

I shuddered.

Yuigahama was still staring at me and for a moment, I felt like it was only the two of us in the room.

She couldn't be asking me for… that, right?

" _Like heck she could!"_

Shut up. I didn't ask for your opinion.

The temperature dropped further and the crunching still continued. The sky also darkened and I felt an ominous presence, no, two of them.

There was only one way to get out of this.

"It's to study, isn't it?"

Everything stopped. Yuigahama looked taken aback, hit with something she didn't expect. For a moment, I breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing her, she would net couldn't laugh and d-.

"No. I want to introduce you to my parents."

" _YOU MO-!"_

* * *

Despite it being a clear and cool day, I walked home, too exhausted from this afternoon's events to cycle home.

"Today was hectic. Even more so as usual."

" _Is school always like that?"_

"Not really.", I replied, thinking back. "Although she was weird."

" _Which one?"_ , Psi asked, " _The one drinking that hot beverage and reading the bundled paper? Or is it the other, the one who was physically connected to you and caused a high amount of anxiety?"_

" _Answer. Latter."_

" _Same."_

"Hold up. You guys may be right on all counts, but your phrasing of her being 'physically connected' to me sounds wrong."

As soon as those words left my mouth, a nearby couple from across the street stared at me. It could have been my imagination, but I swear that lady pulled that guy's arm harder. For some reason, I caught a few words of their conversation. "Abstinence…youn...meful."

Depressingly, that took me back to the troublesome situation.

"She was different. More, well, bold in my opinion."

" _You mean she doesn't act like that often?"_ , Kraue asked.

"Mmhmm. I received too much of my daily dosage of Yuigahama."

" _Ava did say she detected a small amount of pleasure in your brain."_

Wha-? She can detect things like that?

I opened the door and went straight up to my room, forgetting to say greet Komachi. Though she was texting on her phone. Was it that beetle again? I could take some necessary precautions, like politely asking to meet with a bag full of kitchen knives-

" _Beetles? I like beetles."_

-Or I could potentially set this thing on him. That'd work as well. Only problem is how to leave no evidence behind.

Immediately, seconds after laying down on my bed, the three musketeers reappeared in front of me, making me jump back in surprise. "What are you guys doing?", I hissed.

Psi looked at me. "We only get to go out 8 hours everyday in these forms. It is difficult being cooped up the rest of the time in your head."

"Information. There is no bed in your head. Could you please place one there?"

"We don't do that here."

I turned off the lights and attempted to sleep, intending to restore my depleted stamina. If everyday was going to turn out to be like this, this gave me even more of a reason to sleep.

"You aren't going to let us tell you what and who we are?"

"Too tired, er, Kraue?"

"Why are you asking a question on what you're doing?"

I yawned. "It's the name. Not the state I'm in."

One last though drifted through my head before the darkness claimed me. I forgot to ask Yuigahama about yesterday.

The three parasites, unable to tell Hikigaya what he needed to know, watched their Host as he laid still and motionless, the only movement being the rising and lowering of his back.

Ava spoke up. "Inquiry. You think he knows?"

This piqued the other two's curiosity. "Knows who? The Vissionaires?", Kraue asked.

A shake of the head. "Wrong. Recall earlier how Psi asked him about the two girls who acted strange?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Revision. My answer may not have been completely truthful."

If lizards had eyebrows, they'd certainly be raised high. "...Ok, so it's the other girl?"

"No. The third one."

"Wait, which one? There was only two."

"Correction. The one outside."

"Excuse me. You're saying there were not two, but three girls at that moment of time?"

"Yes. Undoubtedly."

Psi quickly glanced at Kraue out of the corner of his eye, then to his Host. Still sleeping heavily, it seemed to him. "Why?"

"Why I suspect her?"

"She could be attending the institution as as an average student or teaching there as one of the teachers."

Ava nodded, her mechanical head creaking. "True. I was considering those alternatives. Both seemed highly likely to be true."

"But?"

"That person. She reeked of Blood."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Arc 1: The Innovative Initiation Is Impactful**

Waking up with your mouth dry is annoying. It's irritating to yawn and cursing yourself for not bringing a glass of water with you, you instead head downstairs, hoping to quench your throats and mouth of the essential fluids it needs.

What's unusual is finding a lizard rifling through your fridge first thing in the morning. A bipedal, green c-

Wait, didn't I describe him before?

I think have.

Hopefully.

"What are you doing?"

Kraue kept his head inside. "I was wondering if you had chocolate brownies."

"Even if I did have, that doesn't give you the right to mess up the fridge. Plus, what if someone sees you?". I was firmly convinced that it was almost impossible, if not fully, to convince Komachi or my parents what was currently happening. The best result would them believing it and conclude that they were underneath some dark magic or working late nights had take their toll on them. For Komachi, she'd believe that Pretty Cure had literally become a reality.

"Answer. They're still in their rooms." Ava was sitting on one of the brown chairs. Her iron, or was it steel, body sat extremely upright compared to the way I slouched. It reminded me of Yukinoshita. "Heart rates are similar to yours when you were sleeping."

"One, that's creepy. Two, what's he looking for? It's," I rubbed my eyes with my arms and squinted at the clock. "6am."

"Anytime is brownie time.", the lizardman muttered.

"If you're wondering why he likes chocolate brownies, it's because he became addicted to them since they were the first thing he ate since coming here."

I walked over to the fridge and took out an egg, breaking it on the edge of a bowl and began to fry it.

Kraue closed the door and looked at me. "What're you making?"

"Sunny-side up."

After cooking the delicious egg, I poured myself a glass of mango juice and sat down. I spoke, "Itadakimasu.", before ravenously devouring both food and drink. I was famished from being unable to eat dinner last night when all I had for lunch was a curry bun and a glass of MAX Coffee. Wonder why Komachi didn't wake me up?

Halfway through my meal, I noticed Kraue and Ava leaning over my right and left shoulder respectively. "What'd you need?"

"That looks good."

Ava's mechanical head nodded before her eyes produced a green light and she started to scan my food.

"Hold on!", I exclaimed, covering her eyes with my hand, "Basic manners."

"You don't seem like the type who follows that.", she muttered.

It's true I may not be respectful all the time, but no one else is either. Plus, to do so would be bowing down to the Hayama, the biggest faker I've had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing.

Well, maybe not exactly that, but you get my point.

For the first time that day, my loner skill that allowed me to detect the gazes of people on my triggered. It told me it was from… up above.

I looked up and lo and behold, two pairs of eyes. Very yellow eyes. Psi was staring at me straight down from where he was and for a moment, I didn't want to lose this staring game we were having.

He broke eye contact and drifted downwards in front of the three of us.

"Host.", he greeted me. "Shall we get down to business?"

The other two stiffened. I had not a single piece of useful information about them, as well as their motives for being here. The thought that an extra-terrestrial race, like the ones from the 'War of the Worlds' movie, had come to earth and that these three had come to scout out this planet. Me, being the perfect specimen as I rarely socialists with people, was chosen as the unsuspecting subject to carry out their nefarious plans.

One possibility down, a billion more to go. Sometimes, I wish I had the Eye of Agamotto.

Psi coughed, making me wonder how he did it without a physical respiratory system. "As you might not have known, the three of us here are what you call 'Parasites'."

My interest was piqued. "Like the small micro-organisms that infect and infest other organisms?"

"Correct. We, to give you a more accurate time, entered your head when you were sleeping on that bench."

Sleeping on a bench? I don't recall doing that, except two days ago…

"Wait.", I said, coming to a realisation, "that was after I got robbed."

"Did you?"

"I woke up at home with a few injuries. Did you guys do that?", I asked.

"Yes. You were bleeding out severely and was on the verge of death. Kraue's ability of healing faster a normal human saved you. I was the one who teleported you home."

The terms he used, teleportation and quick healing, seemed like it came straight out of a video game, but I've already gotten this far. To be surprised from this would be more surprising. I nodded my head. "Ok."

"You're not surprised?"

I shook my head. "I am a bit. But I've already gone through more than 24 hours with you, what more can shock me?"

"You have no idea.", Kraue muttered softly, intending only for the three of them to hear it. Thankfully, I picked up the skill 'Keen Hearing' a while back, so I waited for the big surprise.

"Parasites can only last for so long without a Host. 7 hours, to be exact. After a while, we die, so a Parasites top priority is to connect to a Host - to form a bond with one. It's a mutualistic relationship. The Parasite lives off the Host's resources while the Host can utilize the Parasite."

"Okay, utilize for what?"

"To put it simply, self-defence and combat."

I was aware that I had long crossed the line between fact and fiction, possible and impossible, but there was no other explanation to describe what I was experiencing than that which can't be proven. I asked them, "Self-defence against what?"

"I'm afraid I can't say anything else.", Psi bounty stated, "The Initiation must be completed."

"Initiation?"

"A process where the Host must either reject or accept the Parasite."

That made sense. After all, some form of camaraderie had to be made between the main character and supernatural or earthly entity in games. Without enough information, I couldn't make a sound decision so suddenly.

I leaned forward and laid my elbows on the table. "How does this work?"

Psi coughed. Suddenly, something hard and fast whacked me on the side of my head and the last thing I registered before darkness was the apologetic look of a lizard's eyes.

* * *

" **Don't you hate it?"**

The voice in question came from nowhere, yet I heard it echo around the dark empty space I was in. It was deep and gravelly, soft yet it felt like it didn't need to be louder to assert its authority. I didn't feel anything below my feet, so I concluded that I was floating or hovering aimlessly.

A scene was constructed before met eyes. Me, sitting down on a chair, writing in a notebook. I was shorter and younger, with my ahoge not as long as it should be. I was also aware that my uniform was different and quite wrinkled. In fact, the only part of me that hadn't changed much were my eyes.

The environment was also one I recognised and was not so keen to remember. It was associated with bad memories that I had gathered in my past, transforming me into the person I was. I knew in an instant that I was looking at my middle school self.

" **Your inability to stand strong?"**

More people entered the scene. I didn't recognise any of them but I presumed that they were my own classmates. Talking, laughing at each other until they spotted me. Suddenly, their attention shifted to me, a new target and subject to converse about. There was no sound and they were too far for me to make out their words. Still, I knew what exactly spewed out of their mouths. Insults, jokes, laughter.

The middle school me didn't react. Instead, he just continues writing, ignoring the background voices from strangers. That was one of the few things that I was proud of, being hard to provoke. They wanted a reaction out of me and I gave them the opposite.

" **Look at you. The centre of their undivided attention."**

Other screens appeared. Me walking down a corridor, me alone in a playground while it was raining. Countless other scenes played but I knew the message they were trying to convey.

" **Weak. Unworthy. Useless."**

More screens kept appearing everywhere. The sounds of each started to pile up and I pressed my fingers tightly against my ears to block it out. "Guhh…", I groaned, getting a headache from all the sounds.

" **As far as the world cares-"**

More screens. Louder voices. I pressed harder against my head as they continued to make tumultuous noise. "Stop…"

" **-you could die-**

The world went dark. The screens disappeared, taking the voices with them.

" **-and no one would notice."**

My head was still throbbing from the severe headache, but I managed to spit out a question. "What do you know of me?"

" **I asked the first question. Do you hate your powerlessness?"**

"If what you're offering is a chance at revenge, I don't want it."

" **Why not? It's dangling in front of you. You might not aim to rule a world, but start small. Like…"**

The voice paused. I thought of that thinking statue, posed in long and deep thought.

" **...proving you're not a dead weight."**

"I'm very happy with my life, thank you very much." I didn't need this power, I was content right now.

" **Really? Content?"**. It stretched the word out, a hint of underlying laughter in its tone. " **Killing your reputation and social life for someone else? What does that achieve?"**

"It p-"

" **It only proves you aren't useless. You want to be a scapegoat, a figure to adjust all the blame onto and no matter how much you say you're used to it, it hurts deeply."**

" **So why bother doing it? No one asked you to do it, you have no obligation to destroy yourself. People have kicked you down and you're left, in the mud."**

"It doesn't matter. Using this just to get back at them is wrong."

" **Morals. Ethics. Beliefs."** It talked slowly, emphasising each word. " **Things like those are thrown out of the window."**

"Mine aren't the same as others."

" **Take it."** , it hissed, " **Take this and you'll have what you've always wanted."**

"I never wanted re-"

" **Did you?"**. One thing that struck me was the voice's abrupt changes of tone. It could be trying to convince you one second, then make you feel comforted the next. " **Never once did you… feel that way?"**

I paused. I couldn't say with 100% certainty that I agreed with his answer. I had felt that urge to get payback, had that feeling in my heart to the take revenge. I remember that I sometimes went to school with a clenched fist and gritted teeth, wishing for some higher authority to strike them down.

But that was long ago.

I already stopped thinking about that. It was a thing of the past and it taught me incredibly important life lessons. Like the facades that others put up to cover their true selves, discovering the wonderful feeling that MAX Coffee tasted better alone. An example was my indifferent attitude towards Orimoto. I didn't like nor dislike her anymore, she and I are mutual acquaintances.

But did I really want to reject this?

This power, whatever it is, could become useful. I'd no longer have to hurt myself for others gain. I didn't need to become a vigilante or a hero, I could keep this as a back-up plan in the face of an emergency.

" **You wouldn't use it? Interesting."** It laughed humorously, obviously finding something funny in what I thought. Wait, I only thought about it, I definitely didn't say it out loud! Then again, it could be my tendency to speak my inner monologues. " **I can guarantee you that others definitely will."**

I froze. I wasn't the only one being offered something like this? No, that's stupid thinking Hachibaka. Of course there would be someone out there who's been offered the same as me. I wasn't special in any way at all.

But, I realised, just as I was one of the many who were chosen, there were also those who didn't get this chance. Also, if I didn't take this, it might fall into someone else's hands, someone potentially worse. If it did, there was no way I would forgive myself it hurt someone I cared about, even my parents whom I rarely see despite living on the same floor.

I opened my mouth. "Let me have it."

" **I see."** The voice laughed, " **But I'm afraid I can't give it to you."**

I was about to yell but the logical side of me stopped me. He didn't say I couldn't get it, just that he couldn't give it to me. If that was true, than obviously I was going to face something or someone else in the whole 'Initiation' process.

"So who can?", I asked.

It chuckled. " **You wouldn't want to spoil the next and last part, would you? It's extremely interesting."**

I didn't beat around the bush. "Where is he?"

" **You know where."** That hinting tone made me imagine a wide grin of amusement. " **He's been here all along.**

A flash of light occured, blinding me for a few moments. I opened my eyes and I was back in the kitchen. I was lying down on the ground and, oddly enough, there was no wound where I felt that brief sensation of pain from Kraue.

"I never thought I'd see my past in third-person view.", I muttered.

I stood up, pushing myself off the ground and walked around. There were no signs of life and everything was immaculate save for the tipped over chair and me.

Looking around wildly, I didn't see anyone in sight nor did I hear anything. Odd.

Ok, Hachibaka, use that logic of yours now. You're in your kitchen, yet despite everything else being clean and tidy, it's also off. It's too good to be true. That guy said this was your next part of the Initiation so what can you gather from this? Recall the manga and anime you have wasted your life on reading and watching!

Wait, a second, that last part sounded like an insult to all Otaku's and Weaboo's in the world.

"It is.", a voice agreed.

I turned around and everything made sense. I was in my own house and to do that, someone would have to know the layout and its appearance. The surroundings outside were the same as well. Only a few people knew how everything here would be place and shaped. One of them was in front of me.

"You.", I said.

Hikigaya Hachiman nodded his head.

* * *

"Sensei's going to murder me today", I grumbled, "and that's the nicest thing she'll do."

"Relax, your brain is moving much faster than your body.", H.H. said while waving his hand. "Provided this conversation is kept short and straight to the point, hopefully you won't die along with me in an excruciating painful death."

I almost choked. "What?!"

"Just kidding. Anyways, first question." With a snap of his fingers, a table appeared for him to lean forward and rest his elbows on. "You do know you're not going to become some grand hero, don't you?"

"Fully aware of that. I don't see why that's important."

"It's important 'cause you need to know why you're doing this."

"You're me. I want to protect the people I care about."

"I know. I'm part of you. But you know this doesn't come without suffering and pain."

"Get to the point."

"You think society's going to accept someone like you? Vastly different and abnormal? You know better than anyone that the moment they find out, you'll be rejected. Even your closest friends and family will cast you inside the very same instant they know. Are you going to risk everything you have just for them?"

I had thought of that. Ran possibilities and futures in my head about what could happen. "I'm well aware of that. But I'm accustomed to being on the sidelines, staying in the dark. Even if it did happen, I'd still be fighting because the thought of someone else laying their hands on them fills me with anger."

H.H. stared at me before standing up and clapping his hands together. "Well, that's the end of that." He started to walk away towards the front door.

"Seriously? That's all?" It was hard to believe this was the end of my Initiation.

He looked back and I looked into his eyes. If I were to compare between the two of us, I would say we were strikingly the same. He had my memories, my experiences, my soul. He knew every single detail about me and every thought I thought and it was because they were his as well. Essentially, no matter what he looked like, he'd still act and behave like me, as me. Except one thing was different. One big contrast between both of us.

"Is it?", he asked back.

His eyes were living.

* * *

I woke up in the exact same position before. My head throbbed with pain from where I was hit and that told me enough that this was reality.

Ava came into my field of vision, leaning over me. "Attention. He's awake.", she announced in her robotic voice.

Kraue stopped reading his book and Psi stopped battling the fan. "Finally. How're you?"

"Better." I did not want to go through that whole experience again. "What time is it?"

"12. You missed the morning."

I flopped back down. "I give up. Get me a lawyer."

"For what?"

"My will."

"Glad to see you're still alive."

Ignoring him, I faced Psi. "So what now?"

"Two things. One,". I imagined him putting up two fingers. "We need to explain everything to you, assuming you accepted it."

"I did. What's the second?"

I sensed something foreboding. Was this one of the powers I've been given, the power of foresight?

"We need to climb a satellite tower."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - Arc 1: Delusions Plagued His Brain**

I was suppose to be in school, going through my regular routine of sleeping, studying, being bored and writing highly thought-out essays that encompass the truth. Sensei unfortunately doesn't see the logic behind it when clearly, it's explained extravagantly.

Right now would be modern literature. My one and a half hours of sleep gone and I'm forced to go outside. Nooooooo! Sleep is important! Whoever said sleep was for the weak?

My mind drifted towards Zaimokuza. He told me about two weeks ago that he was finally finished with his new light novel, to which I made a mental note to prepare my mental fortitude against the attacks of fan-service and self-inserted characters. I mean, as a friend I'm happy for him for finally finishing it but after the last few disastrous ones, I really hope this one would be different.

Does a masochist like him enjoy getting pummelled underneath Yukinoshita's icy comments and disgust as the trashy tropes his book contains?

I suggested to him that he try to get a beta reader to scan over his work and inform him of everything he's doing one. Sadly-

"Ho hoh! One cannot simply comprehend the words of Zaimokuza so easily! It would require a knowledge gathers over centuries from the many realms of Carthacia to understand."

-his Chuunibyou's gotten even worse. At this rate, he'll be beyond redemption.

Kraue's sudden clap in front of my face sent vibrations through my ears so loud I had to cover my ears. "What?"

He motioned up. "C'mon, let's go."

"Can't you just carry me?"

"Not enough time left. Besides, it's cold."

Ah yes. The explanation of the abnormality of this situation.

* * *

Two hours earlier

Sitting down alone in my bedroom, I listened to what they were saying.

" _As said during your Initiation, you can tap into our powers, because that is what we Parasites provide."_

"What powers?"

" _It depends. To understand better, you need to understand how Parasites are classified. There is a wide variety of us and keeping track of each and every single one would be a tough challenge, unless you recorded each one down."_

Huh. "Seems like something straight out of a video game."

" _We are classified into 3 Categories, 12 Levels and have different Classes and Roles. From here on, things get quite complicated so either write these things down or memorise them if you can."_

I pulled out my phone and opened the notes section. I predicted this would be a long talk.

" _Kraue here is going talk first."_

Kraue's cheerful voice sounded in my head.

" _So, it's my turn, right? Well, as Psi said, there are 3 Categories, the first being Category A, which I belong to. Yaaaayyy!"_

I cringed. He reminded me of Yuigahama.

" _Category A Parasites change our Host's body and by that, I mean we really change how you look. For example, since I'm a lizardman, you can turn parts of your body into parts of mine. Try something simple, say, your hand."_

"So what I'm getting is that my body goes through some sort of metamorphosis process to become different?"

" _Host, you're already different. Only question is how much you want to be. Try it. A word of warning, don't freak out."_

I stood up. I didn't have a clue on what to do, so I went with a common approach. I imagined my arm turning into that of a lizard's.

"Hnnnnnghhhh!". Making that sound, I attempted a Bruce Banner into Hulk transformation.

Only thing I received was me sounding very constipated.

" _Uh… I don't think that's suppose to happen."_. Kraue scratched his head. " _You know what, try this. Close your eyes."_

I did as he said. A few seconds later, I opened them and saw complete darkness.

" _You're in your mind. Actually, our mind would be more accurate."_ Kraue stood behind me, his tail flicking side to side.

He walked over to me. " _Now, the important part for this to work is memory. Take a good look at my arms."_ He extended both outwards.

They were green, covered with scratched and hardened scales. His long fingers protruded and curled outwards, each one ending in sharp, black nails. He turned his hands over and I saw white flesh, scarred from unknown sources I didn't want to find out about. His hands were broad and long, each part specifically adapted for hand-to-hand combat. I got the ominous feeling that his hands could easily wrap around my throats and crush it with the least bit of effort or worse, leave permanent scars across my face that I would never recover fully from.

" _Now, this doesn't require exact memory, just about a general gist of what it looks like. Transform your hand into mine."_

I blinked and I was back in the room. Slowly releasing deep breaths, I imagined Kraue's hands. I mentally built a 3D image and turned it around, every degree and angle. I did my best to recall every small and maybe insignificant detail.

" _Good."_. Like a teacher praising a student, he talked slowly and proudly. " _Imagine your hand transforming into mine. Something, I also forgot, make sure it's the same hand!"_

I constructed a model of my hand. My eyes closed to help me better, I imagined it twisting and shaping, turning and moulding into a replicate of Kraue's own hand.

Suddenly, my hand felt something. It was like waves are travelling underneath my skin. It didn't hurt but If I opened my eyes to take a look, I might have been at the risk of vomiting.

" _Hahaha!"_ , Kraue exclaimed, tearing through my brain, " _It worked!"_

I opened my eyes and gasped at the sight. My left arm and everything behind it was the same old usual Hachiman body, but beyond it was a claw.

An exact replica of Kraue's, it was amazing. I felt as though I had been born with this hand. I turned it around, admiring the elegance and observed the same flesh and scales that adorned the skin of Kraue the lizardman.

" _Yesss! See, I knew you could do it!"_

" _Keep the noise down, would you?"_ , Psi complained. " _We're trying to do something here."_

" _Whoops."_ Kraue's sheepishly responded. " _Anyways, Host, lift something heavy."_

"How heavy?"

" _Something a normal human can't lift by themselves. Also, do it with only that hand."_

I glanced around until I realised there was. table next to me. I rolled up my sleeves and grasped the underside of it with my claw.

Okay Hachiman, on three. One, two…

I utilised my lizard muscles and pulled upwards. Turns out, I didn't need to much.

The table came off the ground. I was expecting a lot of resistance and gravity opposed me but the table felt like a feather.

It felt light.

I shook it left to right, feeling little resistance against my hand. The table was barren so there was no danger of anything breaking.

Kraue laughed. " _It's really easy to pick up and move, isn't it? Another thing you should know, try lifting it up using only your biceps. Don't move your hand at all."_

"Why?", I wondered.

" _You'll see. It's fundamentally important you know this."_

"Ok." I kept my hand still and used my bicep muscles to bring the table up. It was like lifting dumbells a hundred times larger and heavier.

However, the table remained stationary and my arm suddenly began to throb painfully and mercilessly. With a yelp, I let go of the table, causing it to fall down with a large 'Bang!'.

My arm felt like it was burning and I did everything I could to let it rest.

" _This is the second thing you need to know."_ Kraue sai. " _Only your hand was transformed into my hand, nothing else. That means that your human muscles remain the same everywhere else, hence you not being able to move that table."_

"You could have told me that earlier before I started to strain my muscles." I wasn't a big fan of physical pain, preferring to read and stay indoors rather that go enjoy the outside.

" _I could have but you wouldn't have known how much it would have hurt. That's why you have to be careful when transforming since you need to practise controlling your limbs."_

"Thanks for the painful reminder." No concern for my arm, huh? Can't I just get an instruction manual or, even better, watch a video? It would save me the time and trouble.

" _Sorry, not manual or video came with us. Actually, what are those?"_

"I'll introduce you to them later."

" _I'll hold you to your word. Anyways, that, changing your arms into claws, and changing your eyes as well are pretty much the extent of what you can do."_

Eh? Why so little?

" _Well… it's a bit sensitive topic... actually it's not sensitive at all… but that's a big exaggeration so let's go with, I don't know, hyper-sensitive?"_ Yo, I can still hear you, you knoooow? Even if you kept lowering your voice it's still hasn't gone to the level of a whisper.

"What is it?" If some people beat around the bush, then I'm the one who cuts straight through it.

" _I… have a low level."_ , Kraue admitted.

There was silence for the next few seconds. "What if you?", I asked. I didn't get it.

" _Oh, right. You don't know about Parasitic Levels. Well, to start off-"_

" _Attention."_ Ava's voice rang inside my head. " _You have two minutes left. We're close to locating a suitable satellite tower."_

"Why're we even gonna go to one?", I asked, confused about what Ava and Psi were doing. I had forgotten that they were still present in my head.

" _We'll explain it later. For now, let Kraue explain the whole Level system."_

" _Ah, right, you can count on me!"_ I severely doubted that. Yuigahama would say the same thing when someone asked her to cook and look at the outcome. The newspapers and police better realise there's another dangerous person out there. " _I'll do it before times up."_

" _Time. One minute and thirty-seven seconds left."_

" _Ah well,"_ Kraue fumbled, " _The whole Level system isn't too hard to understand. There's five levels in total, Level 1 to Level 12. All Parasites start at Level 1 but through experience, can reach up to Level 12, the max. In short, the higher a Parasites Level, the better they usually are."_

I see. It was similar in video games. Higher levelled players usually meant that they were stronger in their statistics. It also meant they usually had more or better versions of their abilities. "What level are you?"

Kraue looked immensely embarrassed. " _Three."_ , he whispered, though I still picked it up.

"Is it that embarrassing?"

" _It's not that it's embarrassing to be Level three, it's just… nevermind."_ He gave a resigned tone near the end. " _Forget about it."_

I didn't want to press on a sensitive topic. "Go ahead."

" _As I said before."_ , he continued, picking up where he left off, " _The higher a Parasites Level, the better. It determines the extent of how much you can use the Parasite. Example, me being level two, at most I can change your hands, feet and eyes."_

"What happens if you do level up?"

" _You become stronger, better. You can transform other parts of your body. Of course, this isn't limited to the limbs and body you have. I once heard there was a Host who could generate wings."_

"Really?!"

" _Interruption. We're done. Located the best possible satellite tower."_

I forgot about that. "Why do we even need one?", I stressed my question once again.

" _Answer. We need to find a Parasite. One who's most likely attempting an assassination on your life."_

Sorry, did I hear that wrong? "An assassination?", I asked.

Who'd want to assassinate me? I'm not exactly the most productive member of society nor am I a well-liked one either. Still, that doesn't warrant an assassination! Despite that, that information scared me.

" _Yes. We're going to find him."_ , Ava replied. " _Your first contact with her was about 20 hours and 33 minutes ago."_

Her, so it's a woman. I turned the hands of an imaginary clock in my brain. It was 2:28pm right now, so 20 hours ago would be yesterday at about 6:28pm. 35 minutes more would bring us to 5:53pm, and if I was right…

"That was around the time I was in the Service Club." I realised what she could be implying. "You think one of them could have been a hitman?"

I raised my voice towards the end. I didn't believe for a second that Yuigahama or Yukinoshita would have made an attempt on my life.

" _Apologies."_ , Ava quickly apologized. " _I should have phrased it better. You didn't have any contact the assassin per se, but they were present during your time with those two girls."_

"They?"

" _The assassin and her Parasite."_

"It wasn't just a regular assassin, but one with something like you?"

I recall the Voice saying something similar to that during the Initiation. That I wasn't the only one offered power.

" _Yes. However, the latter part of your sentence was slightly insulting."_

"Sorry", I quickly apologised. "If that's true-"

" _It is."_ Psi's voice interrupted.

"-Since it's true, then what are we doing? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

" _Explanation."_ , Ava responded, choosing her words carefully. " _If, and only if, the assassin, let's call her M, didn't have a Parasite, there would have been no need to inform you. M may not have been an assassin in the first place since there would be absolutely no reason to murder you."_

"One, that's untrue. People can kill for the strangest of reasons." An example of a motive, my good looks. "Two, why are you assuming I'm the victim? Yukinoshita and Yuigahama could have been targets as well."

" _I'm guessing that this Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were those two girls, am I right?"_ A hissing lizard voice entered the conversation.

"Yeah."

" _Well, I thought of that as well. And to tell you why, it's because… drum roll please."_ , Kraue smugly stated, acting like he knew the answer to an unsolvable question.

I closed my eyes, imagining I was inside my brain with the robot and lizard in front of me and opened them. Ava was watching Kraue, who slowly opened his mouth and closed it slowly. He glanced at Ava, genuinely confused. " _Actually, he makes sense. Why didn't you suspect them as being a possible target?"_

Ava's eyes drooped, doing her best to look exasperated. " _Explanation. A Parasite with an Host was right outside your club door, which is the entrance to a room that contains two girls and another Host. Now, who's the more likely target?"_

I got was she was saying, but I still had a few unanswered questions. "How do you know this was an assassin?"

Ava nervously glanced at Kraue, who returned the same look. " _Apparently, when Ava detected the Host, she ran a sensory test since it was the only way to check the person. The results of the test significantly pointed towards a highly notorious Parasite - Blood."_

"Blood?" What a strange name.

" _Blood's a Parasite solely focused on hunting others down. He's tagged as a Category A Parasite, Cat. A for short. He can control his Host's blood, which makes him a very dangerous hunter to his prey."_

" _Indeed. Blood's a level 9 Parasite and his species, like a lizardman, is a Corkral, which manipulate their own blood to use in combat. He usually hunts down other high-tiered Parasite, occasionally preying on a lower levelled one. His nickname is The Quiet, which is mainly due to his soundless assassinations."_

"So I'm the target of a high-tiered Parasite assassin, who is a Corkral, and his host?" The thought was terrifying. "Why does he want me?"

" _We're not sure. Maybe he heard that you've recently been chosen as Host or maybe his Host has a grudge against you. Either way, your safety is at risk."_

I nodded. "If that's the case, I'm guessing the satellite tower is going to be useful in locating him?"

" _Yes. After a week, Blood's Hosts start to produce red blood cells that contain a substance called Pyrian. Pyrian absorbs oxygen from directly from the air and holds it inside the cells. Psi can attempt to scan for that substance, but he needs the satellite tower to amplify his scan and create a larger area."_

Huh. Easy explanation despite the new terms introduced. Corkral and Pyrian are definitely not from earth. "When do we start?"

" _Now."_

* * *

Present

I was currently on the top of a satellite tower, hugging my jacket close in an effort to reduce my amount of heat loss. Psi was outside, floating around the satellite. "Do I need to ask?"

"Currently, I am scanning for the Pyrian substance, which is present in one of the humans somewhere in this city. One of the perks of being a Mind-class Parasite."

"Another thing I need to know besides Levels and Categories?" This would be a great idea for one of Zaimokuza's novel's, provided he didn't screw up everything else.

"Classes. I am a Mind-Class Parasite, Ava is Mech and Kraue is Mythological. Each class possess a unique ability, such as the Mech-class having a broad understanding of different machines. The Mind-class possess an ability to scan once every day for any substance we have substantial knowledge on. For example, if we've never heard of the term 'food', we cannot scan for 'food' despite it existing simply because of our lack of knowledge."

Interesting. "How wide can the satellite increase your scanning range?"

"It's about as big as a quarter of this city. The satellite increases the range twice as much."

So his scan can encompass half of Chiba. That sounds like an OP ability anyone would want to get in any game but everything, no matter how good or perfect it looks, always has a few drawbacks.

"This main disadvantage of this is the same as its advantage, its range. The target's location appears for a few seconds helping me to pinpoint the exact location of the target for that short amount of time, but it's ineffective against highly mobile targets since it'll point to their last location."

"Ok. Where do we scan first?"

"The area around your school. Blood's last known location was there and he somehow knew that you recently became a Host, hence he and his Host should be somewhere close by. Of course, we are all operating on speculation.

"At least it makes sense. When will the scan be done?"

"I am initiating it… now."

Psi's body pulsed and sent out a wave of vibrations towards Sobu. This lasted for five seconds until he stopped. He opened his eyes, filled with anxiety and agitation. " _Shit. This is bad."_

Psi appeared the most formal out of all of them and if something made him lose his cool, it was probably dangerous. "What is?"

"Kraue!", he yelled, causing said person to look up, "Quickly! Up here!"

Kraue climbed up, his hands and feet latching on to the metal supports and his tail curling behind him. Nearing us, his tail suddenly extended past his body, grasping onto a metal beam before using it to launch himself into the air and landing in front of us. That was the first time I saw him climb, ignoring the time he climbed up while carrying me on his back since I was busy trying not to vomit. "Woah."

"Psi, Host. What's wrong?" I took one look at his face and saw that he must have been thinking the same thing about me about Psi's agitated state.

"Blood." Psi was deeply troubled. "He never left your school."

* * *

"Confirmation. You're telling me," Ava asked, "that Blood was holed up there all this time? Are you sure your scan was-?"

"-not faulty? Absolutely. Blood's still in that school, positioned at the exact same place where you first detected him."

"But how?" Kraue was definitely not the only one confused. "Surely someone would have seen him lurking around there. Also, can't he tell if Host was there and leave immediately?"

"That's a possibility we can't rule out. It's also highly unlikely my scan would occur at the exact same time he was checking for the Host. It doesn't take too long to peek underneath the door."

"He could be setting up a trap."

As I watched the three of them converse among themselves, I felt irritated. They weren't focusing on the bigger picture here, which was the fact that right inside the clubroom, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita were being stalked by a murderous alien. "Oi, stop!"

My sudden outburst stopped the three of them from talking. "Are we going to ignore the fact that there's an assassin inside a school?"

"...You're right. We should hurry."

In a flash, the three of them disappeared and I registered three, different coloured lights spiralling up my arm before disappearing into my head. " _Host, you need to move quickly. You haven't learnt how to use Psi and Ava, so you need to rely on me."_

"Wait, I don't even know how to do this properly!"

" _I agree. Kraue, you are making an outrageous request."_

" _There's no other way! If he's to reach there quickly, he needs to transform his feet and hands! Plus, it's easy so he'll get the hang of it."_

That's what my dad said when he taught me to ride to ride a bicycle. Oh wait, I learnt how to do it myself. One point for me.

Recalling what Kraue taught me earlier, I envisioned my hands and feet transforming into his. A few seconds passed before I felt the familiar sensation beneath my skin. I opened my eyes and looked at my hands. Both were now claws and I flexed my fingers, seeing them curl downwards like hooks. I looked at my feet and I knew it had worked.

" _I am… impressed. You did it on the first try."_

"Is it that rare?"

" _I expected a bit more trouble."_

I couldn't tell whether that was a compliment or an insult, so I took it as the former.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take of my shoes and gloves before changing.

Mental note: Visit Uniqlo after this whole situation.

I leapt up, feeling the wind brush on my face and as I launched myself into the air.

This is definitely a new experience. It was also pretty fun.

I landed on the building across, my fleet slamming the ground and cracking the floor.

"Oops."

" _Well, good jump. Looks like you've got the hang of it. Bad news, you might want to run.."_

I agreed with him, hearing confused and angry shouts of people below. This time, I didn't jump, partially because I thought I might cause another catastrophe like this, partially because I wanted to try something new.

I was always impressed by insects. For such small creatures, I could never seem to be able to hit them, even though I thought my swift hand was much faster than the speed they're tiny bodies could produce. Younger me thought it was due to me being to slow.

I later realized that that wasn't the main cause after reading a few books and searching up online. It's not like I still thought I was too slow and started to practise becoming the flash. Yeah, that never happened.

One that fascinated me the most was the lizard. Forget the specifics of each one, they could quickly scale walls and ceilings with what seemed like now effort, a walk in the park for them. They could hide and and despite my sister's feeble attempt to throw her slipper to hit one lounging on the roof, it never did make contact.

I crouched down and imitated a pose like a runner getting ready to sprint, only my hands were in front of me and my feet in an awkward position.

" _Uh, Host? What are you…"_

I pushed off my feet, launching myself forward. Time didn't seem to change, yet my surroundings became slower, my eyes flickering left to right as I scanned the environment. I kept moving forward, buildings, roofs and the ground rushing past me as I crawled my way towards school.

" _Kraue. I thought you didn't teach him how to change his eyes?"_ Ava sounded alarmed.

In response, the person in question laughed. " _I didn't, but he still did it! Only took him a fascination for the species and a goal in mind to for him to achieve this so fast."_

I kept crawling, making sure to remain out of sight of anyone. If anyone was looking at me right now, I felt as though they would have seen me skimming the rooftops and moving at an incredibly high speed.

Was this how it felt like to be a lizard?

" _Jump!"_ Psi's voice shook me as I realized I was heading towards the edge.

I jumped, flying through the air until I landed on the building across. I stood up and I saw Sobu, school having ended judging from the amount of people leaving the gates. Right now, Yuigahama should be walking to the clubroom, Yukinoshita probably being inside.

" _We're here. Now, discreetly make your way into the school and towards the door."_

Travelling the rest of the way took me about 6 minutes. Just as I was about to round the corner, I stopped. "Is there anyone nearby besides Yuigahama and Yukinoshita?"

I wasn't that well-known in my school, but after the Sagami affair during the cultural festival, I was infamous for a short amount of time. The rumours and gossip surrounding me had died down since then but I didn't want to risk the chance that someone would see me and run around talking about how they say 'Hikitalizard-kun' stalking what looked like two beautiful and well-known girls. Also, explaining why I had lizard class and feet would be a hassle.

" _Nope. Just you. Go ahead and approach quietly. He could still be around."_

I peered around the corner. 'He' wasn't anywhere but considering the fact the 'He's' an assassin, me dropping my guard down should be the last thing I should do and hopefully doesn't really become the last thing I did.

I walked slowly, controlling my foot muscles to prevent any noise. As I approached the door, I heard voices of two females.

"Neh, Yukinon, did Hikki tell you where he went?"

"Yuigahama-san, I believe he'll contact us later if does have a valid reason for not coming to school."

"Oh I see, heh heh."

The sound of a chair being pulled back and Yuigahama sitting on it caused a sputter from Yukinoshita. "Yuigahama-san, that really isn't… well, healthy.", I heard her say as her feeble attempt to convince Yuighama of… whatever she was doing failed.

"Ahhhhh…., it still has his warmth."

So Yuigahama has a crush now? Huh, I guess puberty does that to you. Still, who's she talking about?

" _Seriously."_ , Kraue spoke, " _I want to kill you right now."_

What did I do?

I kept moving, no sign of anything out of the ordinary. "Psi, are you sure you got the right location."

" _I am positive. He should be here somewhere. One possibility is that he left."_

" _I second that."_

They made sense. Where was this mysterious Parasite and his Host?

" _Host. Over there, the window."_

"Where?" I spun around, trying to see which one. I didn't know what I was looking for until I saw something on the window ledge that normally wasn't present. It was a footprint.

I approached it. The window was too narrow for the whole print to be present, but the front of the foot was marked with mud, facing inside the school.

That would mean someone entered the school from the window, which was-

" _Impossible. You can't simply walk into a school from a window on the 3rd floor."_

I looked over the window and gagged, resisting the urge to vomit. There, conveniently placed behind a bush, was a body. "Holy-"

I jumped back, panting heavily from what I had seen. My arms and feet transformed back into mine as I stared in shock at the window. An open window, a considerable height, a body below, all signs pointed towards a successful suicide attempt. I gulped and tried to stay calm. "That was a body."

" _Yes, it was."_ Psi grimly stated. " _It wasn't an ordinary body though. You can take suicide of your list."_

"Why?"

" _That body contained blood, which had, and I am unmistaken, traces of Pyrian."_

" _Wait a second, wouldn't that mean that was Blood's Host?"_

" _Undoubtedly so. Someone got here before us, judging on how recent the killing us. Pyrian should evaporate from the blood an hour after death, which meant he was killed recently. My only concern are two questions - who and why?"_

"We're not going to get any answers.", I muttered standing up. "But you guys said Blood's Hosts were assassins."

" _They did. Spending too much time as his Host compels you to crave blood of Parasites."_

" _So what do we do now?"_

" _Answer. Track down whoever was strong enough to kill Blood. As crazy as it sounds, I think someone knew Blood was after you."_

Something seemed off. My logic side flared up and I remembered a small piece of overlooked information, small yet significant to this pressing issue. "Ava, you know how before you talked about Blood's Host?"

" _Yes. I vaguely recall it."_

"...Didn't you mention that 'she' was Blood's Host, I was 'her' victim?"

" _Yes. What is you- Oh?"_

" _I don't get it."_

"Ava detected that the person outside the door yesterday was a girl. But the body down in the bushes, which Psi confirmed was Blood's Host, was a male."

" _So there's two Blood's running around?"_

" _Could be. But every Parasite is unique, no two are the same. I am certain I didn't make a mistake, nor did Ava."_

"But one of you has to be wrong.", I argued. I was playing detective right now when I should have been in the Club, sitting down and reading my light-novel as Yukinoshita bombarded me with verbal insults and Yuigahama tried to play peacemaker. I wonder how they would act if they saw me right now.

"They aren't." A sweet, gentle voice spoke up behind me which instantly made me shiver.

I turned around and standing there was a girl. She was dressed in the Sobu uniform, her emerald green eyes earnestly shining with concern. Her long, wavy blue hair fell straight down to the middle of her back.

She walked over to me and I stepped back, only for her to speed up until she was right in front of my face. She was beautiful and pretty, I couldn't deny that. She would be popular among the students here at Sobu and could take a spot beside on top of the social hierarchy scale beside Hayama and Yukinoshita. Yet, I felt a slight sense of unease on the back of my neck.

" _Who's that?"_

" _Host. Would you inform us as to the identity of this girl?"_

I would, I thought in my mind, if I could. I've never seen her before. Right now, I was concentrating on doing my best to remain calm in front of this girl, who was less than a step in front of me.

Huh? When did she get there?

Suddenly, her forehead scrunched up as she took a step forward, bringing her hands to my cheeks and she carefully examined my face. "Hachiman, are you alright?", she asked, concern and worry lacing her voice.

Anyone riajuu in my position would probably jump in joy and happiness or collapse from being in close proximity to a girl who could rival Miura and Yukinoshita in terms of looks, crying for doing so many good things in their past life. Hayama would probably shake step back and offer an extended hand, a casual smile and a simple "My name's Hayama. I hope we can become good friends."

Needless to say, I was nothing like them.

I wasn't drawn in so easily and removed her hands, holding them by the wrists. "What did you mean ''they aren't'?", I asked.

She tilted her head the same way the usual anime air-headed girl would. "I just answered your questions."

I narrowed my eyes. "Who are you?"

It came out more intimidating than I meant it to. Still, I felt slightly justified in doing this. The girl smiled and somewhere, in the depths of my brain, my brain cells tugged as a sense of familiarity entered my brain.

I asked again. "Who are you?"

I didn't expect the coming event to happen in a million years.

In response, she smiled and moved her face towards mine, her tongue entering my mouth.

* * *

 **Concord's note:** Finally ended Chapter 5. That took me a long time and my longest chapter I've written so far.

So how are the chapters so far? Hachiman too OOC, plot holes and flaws in the content? I made most of this up as I went along, so I won't be surprised if there's any flaws you've found.

By the way, the OC I used in this chapter was reused from my other story, 'My Tipping Point'. Read it if you want know a bit about her since the characters are one and the same.

See you in the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - Arc 1: One Failed Meeting Led To Another**

Her tongue was intertwining with mine as it dug deeper into my mouth and down my throat. My hands still held her wrists, though my grip was slacking every second that passed. In the short amount time that had passed while this girl was kissing me, a very interesting conversation played inside my head.

" _How is this guy so lucky!? I mean, every person who's sees him is just so, arragahfghdisgwmwl!"_

" _Kraue, you might suffer severe brain damage provided you remove your hands from the sides of your head."_

" _Agreed. Save yourself."_

" _It's not me who needs saving, it's him!"_

" _In spite of what is occurring, it did not seem like Host was familiar with this person."_

" _Argument. I think otherwise."_

" _Then what are they doing? Are they perhaps conversing with one another?"_

" _Reply. His mouth isn't moving nor is he communicating with us inside his head."_

" _...You guys are so sad…"_

" _No one asked for your opinion."_

" _Indeed. Please keep your mouth closed."_

At this point, I was worried he might have suffered a seizure but I had more pressing matters to worry about.

I moved back, detaching myself from her and coughing from a lack of oxygen, forgetting to breathe during the kiss. "What was that for?"

She tilted her head once again. "Shouldn't you know?"

This girl, was she a Yuigahama? "Don't play dumb."

"About what?"

Looks like I had to explain everything to her. "The kiss! What was that for?"

"Oh! That.", She clapped her hands together. "It was a sign of love. I mean, aren't they supposed to be between people romantically in love with each other?"

"Sorry, looks like you have the wrong person." I turned around and tried to brisk walk away, hoping I could get away from her. Unfortunately for you, I already know how to deal with your type.

Girls like her, clueless yet so open, would immediately rush forward and try to grab me, in the worst case scenario, hug me tightly. All I'd just have to do was to dodge the attack and sprint to the opposite side. It was a foolproof plan.

I had almost reached the corner when I remembered why I was here. I spun around and walked back to her.

I stopped in front of her. "How did you know? About Psi and Ava?"

She looked clueless. "I don't know what your talking about, I was just messing around. Teehee!", she said, imitating the clueless-airhead-punch-on-head punch.

" _She is infuriatingly stupid. Does she think it'll fool us?"_

" _Oh c'mon, I'm sure she's not all that bad."_

"Seriously Kraue?", I reprimanded him in my head, "Really?"

" _What?", he asked, "Look at her! She obviously doesn't know anything."_

" _Host. Can we throw him out of the window along with the girl?"_

" _I agree. It's plainly obvious she knows something. Confront her."_

I already did that. I just needed be more stern.

But in the off chance this whole thing really was true and she was completely clueless, I'd look like a total idiot.

"I can tell you're acting.", I bluntly said. I took a deep breath and spoke my next set of words. "Who are you?"

She smiled, but it wasn't a Yuigahama smile, filled with happiness and sweetness. It wasn't a Yukinoshita smile, one cold and barren that you'd start to back away. It wasn't a Haruno smile either, a fake one covering a malicious intent.

Even though it was neither of those, it scared me all the same because I couldn't tell what kind of smile it was.

She tiptoed and reached out with her left hand, softly grabbing my ahoge before moving her hand down and caressing my head before stopping it on my cheek. "I'll kill two birds with one stone."

She leaned in and I saw a strange emotion in her eyes. I couldn't remember where I had seen it before. She opened her mouth.

"This is the smile of someone who's watched for 7 years."

The very words sent a cold shiver down my spine and I realized that the Parasites in my head had fallen silent.

She took a few steps back before walking away. A few steps later, she turned around.

"If you want to know," she said, "Meet me at 6 in that Saizeriya restaurant.

With that, she left, leaving me standing there, still facing the direction from where she left.

Psi coughed. " _That was… unexpected."_

"Yeah, it was.", I muttered. Not to mention that was my first kiss.

" _Host is probably in despair and anguish since his was meant to be reserved for his little sister."_ Kraue's voice had sarcasm and resignation in it.

"Darn righ-!" I started to shout, before I launched into a violent fit of totally-accidental coughing. Slipped back into english for a moment.

" _Host. Regarding the pressing issues of that girl and the body, which would you prefer to tackle first?"_

I turned around, the footprint on the windowsill reminding me what had transpired earlier. Walking over, I looked over and again tried not to throw up my lunch. "The latter."

" _Agreed. We'll remove the body first. Any ideas on how to dispose of it?"_

" _Does earth have any local authorities? Why not alert them to it?"_

"If they investigate into this, they could find something abnormal about him."

" _Disposing of it it is. What method do we employ?"_

" _I could eat it.", Kraue suggested helpfully._

I frowned. "No."

" _Well, if we want to clean up, I think the best method it to burn the body and use a mop."_

" _A mop? For what?"_

" _For all the blood that's gonna be all over the place."_

Now it sounds as though I'm part of a murder conspiracy, although I'm that poor unfortunate soul to get dragged into this whole mess.

The second question I have is, what am I going to do about that girl? I don't even recognise her and if I did, it's a remote chance she'll pop up in one of my memories.

* * *

I stood outside of Saize's, waiting 3 more minutes for the clock to strike six. I was dressed in winter clothing, new ones might I add, since I felt explaining to the police why I looked like I was involved in a massacre was nigh impossible. What could I say, they made fun of my little sister?

Though if they did, I'd make sure there was no evidence left behind. Careful planning and execution is what separates amateur criminals from the professionals.

My eyes darted around, scanning the throngs of shoppers and dragged along civilians wandering the mall. Some travelled from place to place while others wandered aimlessly around. One poor soul was carrying a huge amount of shopping bags while a group of girls, who he was obviously acquainted with judging from his occasional glances to them, walked in front chatting and laughing about whatever topic they talked about. I'm glad that I don't have to suffer through the same thing.

I took my phone out of my pocket and glanced at the time, seeing that it was 15 minutes past six. Seriously, did I waste my time having to go out and miss dinner back at home just to wait for someone who won't show up?

" _You could always give her time."_ Kraue attempted to uplift my mood. " _No one's ever on time."_

" _Frankly, people have shown to be able to be exactly on time. Also, isn't the last part quite… contradictory to your point?"_

" _I'm basically saying people either come early or late. If she's not early, she's late."_

" _That's incorrect."_

" _Hey, just doing my best."_

The conversation raged inside my head as I leaned against the wall. I was seriously tempted to go home right now, but I wasn't out here on a normal date, a normal boyfriend waiting for a normal girlfriend to have a normal meal. She plainly knew something about my situation, especially about that body from earlier. Speaking of the body, I hope somebody wouldn't find it.

Hehe, somebody…

Suddenly, I saw a familiar mop of hair among the crowds. While I didn't interact with that person on a daily basis, I definitely saw her enough to identify her from a distance.

I activated 'Stealth Hikki', one of the most useful abilities a loner cultivates overtime. However, mine was evidently stronger than most, an example being Toyota Honda in my class.

I'm spite of my effort, that person still saw me and started to skip over energetically. Knowing there was little I could do, I braved the incoming storm and waited for the greeting that usually followed.

"Senpai!"

Isshiki stopped, a mere metre from me. She was decked out in the same clothing she wore during one of our practice dates, though with so many I've been one I couldn't remember which. Maybe it's the one we went outside to eat.

Isn't that helpful, my subconscious sarcastically asked.

Shut up, I'm trying to remember.

"Why are you here?", Isshiki asked.

"I'm here with my little sister.", I lied.

"Oh. But I don't see her anywhere." She made a show of looking around, turning 360 degrees and lifting one of her hands above her eyes to emphasise her 'search'. I noticed the other one was holding a shopping bag. "Could it be…?"

She stopped and sidled up to me, making me lean back. You may have thought I'd be used to this now, considering that Komachi would do this whenever she detected a false fact from my statement, but having another girl, who's entirely non-related, act the same way evoked a completely different reaction.

"Senpai's waiting for someone else?"

"N-nope. Just waiting for my sister, just like I said."

"Hmmmm…. nope. Senpai couldn't possibly be doing that.", she slyly stated.

Now I knew how dad felt that one time when he came home later than usual and tried to tell Komachi he forgot to buy her that new bag since he had a scheduled meeting. Unfortunately, unlike this time, it was a Sunday.

I wonder why he thought that excuse would work. Scratch that, it's more of a how he came to that.

"I do the occasional shopping time to time.", I muttered, "Plus, it's for my imouto, so list me a few reasons why it's impossible."

"Because Senpai is lazy to do anything except underneath the threat of a blackmail?"

While I certainly won't deny the first part, how did you arrive at blackmail? Have you dabbled in the unethical act itself?

"I have the receipts, Senpai."

No wonder.

"Speaking of me being here, what about you?" I tried to change the topic to something else. Hopefully she takes the bait and I won't crack down underneath the constant barrage of pressure from her questions.

She blinked and moved back, letting me let out a sigh of relief. Three cheers to Hachiman, hip hip-.

"I'm going shopping, of course." Isshiki, it's plainly obvious to anyone who sees you considering those bags. "I planned to take you along with me so I could have another opinion on what to buy."

Translation: You weren't at school today and I had no idea on how to contact you, so I couldn't bring you along on another practice date to be my bag carrier.

A girls' words is a dangerous weapon. "Senpai, since you're here, could you come along with me?"

"I told you, I'm waiting for my sister."

"How long have you been waiting for?"

"Why'd you ask? 5:30, I guess."

"It's 6:45 right now."

Is it really? Has time flown by so fast I lost track of it? I took out my phone and indeed, she was correct. "Since Senpai's sister isn't coming, you can accompany me!"

"I can't, like I said-"

"Ara, isn't that Hikigaya-kun."

I attempted to pull the same stunt I did two days ago. Walk fast, eyes forward, pretend you didn't hear and if you get caught-.

Two hands quickly covered my eyes, stopping me in my tracks. "Guess who?", a seductive voice whispered.

-feign ignorance.

"Obviously not a demon.", I sarcastically said before turning around. "Haruno-san."

She laughed. "How rude. Aren't you supposed to be a proper gentleman?"

"Sorry, reserved for a select few only. What are you doing here?"

"What a coincidence. I was just about to ask the same thing."

Behind her, I could just make out Isshiki staring at us. Wouldn't be surprised, probably the first time she saw a girl so friendly with me. "If you'd excuse me Haruno-san, I need to be somewhere."

A fake look of shock and her hands flew to her mouth. "You wouldn't happen to be cheating on Yukino, would you?"

"Take a guess. I'm sure it'd be quite easy."

"Sometimes, a girl wants it spelled out Hikigaya-kun."

"I'd bet my inheritance you don't fall into that category."

"Senpai? Is that Yukinoshita-san?"

Although Isshiki whispered, I would have expected Haruno to hear it and my expectations were proven right.

She stepped forward and glanced at Isshiki, who flinched slightly. Haruno could sometimes be intimidating if she wants to you. However, she kept her mask on as she introduced herself.

"I am Yukinoshita-san. Who might you be?"

"Me?"; Isshiki fumbled, "Oh, uh, Senpai's my uh, I'm-"

"-Isshiki-san, isn't it?"

She blinked. "You know me?"

"That valentines cooking event of yours was amazing. Shall we discuss about it somewhere else? I'm sure Hikigaya-kun wouldn't mind us eating at Saize."

I give up. Whoever that girl was, it was pretty clear she wasn't turning up. I guess I'll just find her during school time and talk with her.

* * *

Seated down next to Isshiki with Haruno across me made me nervous. As though I was a client who was going to commence his interrogation about a heinous crime.

Haruno, being the kind person she was, yes I stretched that part out, decided to order for herself and Isshiki. Unintentionally, she forgot to ask me for my order and ordered a one bolognese spaghetti for one Hikigaya Hachiman.

"Isshiki-san, it seems you're on good terms with Hikigaya-kun."

"Ah, Senpai helps me out a lot, actually I became the student council president due to him."

"I never heard about that. Is that true, Hikigaya-kun?"

I nodded, sipping my complimentary glass of ice-cold water slowly. Why the need for confirmation if you knew about it already?

I knew the answer to that one.

"You never really did tell me why you were here."

"I didn't? I could have sworn it was about the date we planned a few days ago."

"D-date? Senpai on a date?"

While I couldn't always read the enigma of Yukinoshita Haruno, I could tell she expected me to deny the whole thing. Even if she didn't, I would still do it.

"Don't mind her Isshiki. She likes to joke around sometimes."

"Really. Wasn't it you who skipped the whole day of school just to ask me out?"

"Very funny." I humorously mumbled those words as I continued to stare at the entrance of the restaurant. It wasn't that there was anything specific there, it was just the people walking by. "Don't listen to everything she says."

She's like you, but much more manipulative and scary.

The woman behind me continued their chattering while I just sipped at my glass of water. Man, I really wish I had brought a fan of MAX Coffee here. Maybe two. It's probably help ease my fears.

Unfortunately, as I was in the middle of a long, cool sip, someone just had to speak up suddenly, also making me spit out a mouthful of water.

" _Over there! No, there! HOST, DO YOU SEE IT, I MEANT HIM!"_

Caught by a certain Parasite exclaiming and screaming in my head, I sputtered and almost spit out my water. Thankfully, I was able to hold it in and only a few drops came out. Unthankfully, (Is that a word?), the rest of the liquid went into my trachea, causing me to retch and cough in response to a lack of air. Due to the noise I was making, it was impossible for Haruno and Isshiki to not notice.

"Hikigaya-kun?"

"Senpai!"

I swear I heard something similar to this before…

After a few more retching sounds and coughs, I finally got the water out of my throat. "I'm fine, just choked on a bit of water."

I did my best to reassure them that nothing was wrong, but it was hard to listen to them berating and acting all concerned for me when a third voice was constantly trying to divert your attention to something else.

" _Host, I'm being serious, please listen to me. Like, this is really really reeeeaaalllly important! I tried telling Psi and Ava but they were trying to sleep and so I just sat here looking through your eyes, you know what, please look over there!"_

" **Hold on a minute. I'm in the busy of something right now."**

" _I can see, but this is really important as well! Just find a way for them to ignore you so that you can get on this important thing."_

" **Easier said than done. You don't know these people. How pressing is the issue anyways?"**

" _If it weren't a really big matter, right now I would have started yelling at you."_

" **I don't see how important it still is. Anyways, I'll try."**

Whatever it was, it must have been pretty important for him to act as though he found a buried treasure or something. Although I couldn't shake the fact that a 'buried treasure' might be a memory of me being Chunni in my middle school days. It's not even a teacher at all.

After finally getting them to stop, although it was more of Haruno pretending, I laid my head down on the table, careful to not hit any of the food, which further complicated the situation. Pretending to rest, I cracked open one eye and looked the entrance, having no idea what it was I was looking for.

" _Wait for it… there! That guy, the one in the blue jacket and grey muffler."_

I scanned my eye until it landed on the only person who matched Kraue's description. Said person was browsing through a clothing shop across Saize. He went from shirt to shirt, the shop assistant attending to him conversing with him. " **What about him?"**

" _He looks normal, I know. The same as everyone else around here. But I noticed that he had browsed through the same collection of clothes four times already."_

" **So he's an indecisive person."** I wasn't really shooting him down or not wanting to believe him, I just wanted to be sure that he wasn't suspicious without any evidence.

" _He isn't. He browses through the clothes, leaves and then comes back in an entirely new disguise. By the way, I don't think I'd have been able to recognise him save for the one, outstanding factor about him - his shoes."_

I stared at him even more. If something aroused the suspicion of a Parasite, then that something had to be worth investigating. Employing all my skills I've developed, I pretended to be bored, maybe even sleeping, while being as inconspicuous as possible while keeping my one eye on him. For a moment, he glanced in my direction, but with the look being brief I couldn't tell if he was looking at me.

"Senpai." Isshiki decided to finally involve me in their conversation. Not that I wanted to in the first place. "Were you even listening to what we were saying?"

"Nope."

"Wait Senpai, don't turn your head back!"

Isshiki, I don't really want to be caught in between two scary people. Plus, I've noticed my plate of food has disappeared. I don't recall taking a spoonful of anything recently.

The guy still continued to look through the clothes, except the shop assistant was gone this time. Most likely attending to someone else. What would be the best course of action right now?

" _I think you should beat him up."_

" **Wait, that's taking it too far!"**

" _So kill him?"_

" **A sensible person would think the opposite."**

I made up my mind. I stood up and glanced back at the two girls behind me. "I have somewhere I need to be.", I told them.

"Where?", Haruno asked. I think the one good thing about this conversation between me and her was that none took place. Thanks Isshiki.

"Just need to deal with something."

I left some money in the table, surprising myself and left, walking towards the guy. Thankfully, he was still fixated on examining a particular shirt, so he didn't see me. Only until I was within reaching distance did he turn his head.

'Surprised' wouldn't be enough to describe his expression. Is was more akin to 'shocked'. It flashed for a moment in his eyes and he almost dropped what he was holding. Nevertheless, he was able to remain a calm posture. "Sorry, I don't wor-."

"I know you don't.", I interrupted him. I hoped Haruno and Isshiki weren't seeing me confronting a random person a few feet from where they were, though I knew it was unlikely. "Who are you?"

His eyes darted left to right, then glanced at me. "Bathroom. Beside the Umisushi restaurant."

He walked past me, turning right and left me standing by myself.

" _You going?"_ It was evident in his voice he was worried.

" **I could leave him waiting, but I'd rather get this settled first."** I thought in my mind, heading to the designated meeting place.

Upon my arrival, I noticed that the bathroom was closed temporarily for cleaning. Without a spare thought, I headed inside, unknowing of what I was getting myself into.

The man was inside, waiting for me. He had changed completely from his winter wear and instead donned a casual pair of a short and shirt. "You came.", he said.

"Thanks for stating the obvious. Soon, you'll notice that we're in a bathroom."

"Are you Hikigaya Hachiman?"

I narrowed my eyes, not that they could be narrowed any further. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Are you or are you not?"

" _Be careful. You forgot the most important thing and that was the fact you're not the only Host."_

"Yeah, I am."

" **I figured it wouldn't be too dangerous if I gave him my name."**

He stared at me and I got the feeling he was looking for anything a normal high school boy wouldn't normally have.

" _The Host of the Corkral, Blood, knew your identity within a matter of hours, at least that's what I suspect."_

He reached his right hand up to his neck and I reacted, bracing myself for what he might do.

" _If he knew a new Host had appeared, he must have had a source. After all, information networks don't have a limit."_

He fished out a tag from his neck, like the one younger kids wear when they travel outside of school for identification purposes. He then showed it to me and I looked at it. Despite all the information there, only one thing stood out.

"Kurusu Akihito. FBI."

" _So anyone could know who yo-"_

" **Kraue, shut up."**

" _But I was in the middle of an awesome speech!"_

My mind reeled back from the shock. I didn't show it though, only mild surprise.

"What's the FBI doing in Japan? Shouldn't you be in America?"

The FBI agent glared at me. "Glad to see we have the same train of thought. Imagine my surprise when my superiors ordered me here."

"So you were ordered to spy on me by your bosses?"

"Precisely. I arrived here two days ago past midnight, been shadowing you ever since."

Now that he was speaking longer sentences, I could detect a slight American accent in his words. "What for?"

"That's all I can say. We shouldn't even be discussing."

He tried to leave but I held my hands in front of him. "You're not leaving yet. Not until you tell me why your agency is interested in me they're probably conducting a secret operation in a friendly country. The Japanese authorities might be interest in why an allied country's intelligence service sent someone here without permission."

To be honest, I had no idea what I was saying. I just remembered a similar scene like this occurring in a very memorable book I read. It was just me rambling rubbish non-stop. Heh, I felt like a lawyer for a moment there.

"You think the police would believe the words of a mere boy? Think about what you're saying."

" _He has a point. If I were you, I'd let him go."_

" **And let a stalker roam free?"**

" _Not much you can do here. Be optimistic, he might slip up somewhere at sometime._

Being optimistic wasn't my strong suit.

"I thought FBI agents were suppose to not reveal who they were?"

"Orders."

"From your boss? Doesn't seem like something a smart person would do."

"Kid, when you've spent years in an intelligence agency, you tend not to question some."

I was about to retort back when he suddenly put up a hand. "Quiet!", he whispered. He was staring at the door. "I hear something."

Naturally, I would have looked at the door as well, had it not been for the fact that I was wary of this person. "I don't hear anything."

" _Could he secretly be Host? Maybe that's why he hears something I can't."_

" **He doesn't seem like the type to me."**

" _Careful, that's the first step into lowering your guard."_

Kurusu Akihito started walking towards the door. "You really don't? I could have sworn there was something playing."

He kept on walking, his hand on the door as he pushed it open. A creaking sound sounded slowly, though my attention was focused on the silence that followed it.

There wasn't a single sound. Silence reigned the mall as the only sounds made were the footsteps of the FBI agent, who was doing his best to quietly move forward. Not wanting to be left behind, I followed him, mimicking his hushed feet. " **Kraue, what's happening?"**

" _I'm not too sure myself. If anything, I'd say something else is involved."_

Stepping out from the corridor leading to the bathroom, I hear a faint sound.

"What's that?"

While the FBI agent was pondering about the source of the sound, I knew what it was within a few seconds of hearing it. In spite of me listening to music everyday, classical music making up most of my playlist, I didn't hear this sound often. In fact, only two songs in my playlist had an instrument that could produce this sound, the rest consisting of either a piano or string instruments.

I looked around, seeing all the shoppers lying still and motionless. For a split second, the image of the body came back to me and I almost stumbled from its sudden appearance.

" _You alright? Almost fell right there."_

" **I'm fine."**

It seemed as though a mass sleep or slumber spell was cast on this whole mall, turning everything, living and non-living, off. The music which would be played in the hall was gone as well. I kept on moving, staring at the sleeping civilians who littered the mall in every direction.

" _Host, whatever happened to those two people you were with?"_ , Kraue asked.

"Haruno-san and Isshiki." I whispered under my breath. I turned around. "I need to go somewhere for a while."

With that, I took off, leaving behind the strange FBI agent who's yells of 'Stop!' and 'Wait!' had no effect.

I ran as fast as I could, hoping that nothing bad had happened to them. I may not have feelings for them, but I'd definitely curse myself if anything had happened. After all, the most likely source of this problem was me.

I arrived back at Saize, where I saw them sleeping like everyone else. I was about to rush in when I saw they weren't alone.

The table we had had four chairs, leaving gone empty since there were only three of us. Now that there was obviously something going on here, I concluded the only person sitting in that chair was the perpetrator.

She was sitting down, back straight and facing Isshiki. She was dressed in white clothing and was holding an instrument in her hands. She was playing it and I guessed that this was the source of the beautiful music that I heard.

I walked forward, carefully making my way through the slumbering diners and employees of Saizeriya. As soon as I got to the table, two voices in my head spoke and sounded very tired.

" _UUh… that was a good nap. Haven't had one for a while."_

" _Agreed. That was refreshing. Sorry, Host, Kraue must ha- what?"_

" _Ava? What happened? Oh m- Host?"_

" _You guys have very similar reactions. Especially at the end."_ , Kraue commented.

I kept on standing, watching her play her instrument. It seemed as though she were oblivious to my presence. She was playing a wonderful melody and near the end, she plucked the string slow and slower, ending the song with a dramatic and soft note.

She looked up, setting the golden harp aside as she looked up at me. She didn't have any facial features besides two eyes, which strongly reminded me of Psi's face.

"Hikigaya Hachiman.", she spoke, her voice similar to what I imagined as an angel, "Forgive me. Please, sit down. I'd like to talk."

* * *

 **Concord's note:** Dun, dun, dun….

Thanks for the reviews so far! I'm afraid there are no battle scenes yet, although there might be one coming soon. I still have no idea how to write a battle scene between Hachiman and some random Host. I'm still thinking about possible Parasites and each will determine how he handles each situation. So if you have any ideas, let me know.

Also, the OOCness of Hachiman as well as any other Oregairu characters are fully due to me not being able to grasp their actions and behaviour well yet. Just a heads up, don't be surprised if there's more uncharacteristic behaviour in the future.

In response to roger9481 who pointed out something I missed, one of the OC's I used was from another one of my stories. If you want to know which one, check the bottom of the last chapter.

Signing off.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - Arc 1: Parasites Have More Than He Thought They Would**

Now, when I was a kid, my mom used to teach me not to listen to random strangers.

So, I took her advice and pulled out the chair, sitting down on the comfy wooden chair.

The unknown lady stared at me, her eyes blinking as she carefully scanned them over my whole body. It made me slightly anxious, so I thought of something to keep control my anxiety.

" _What now?"_

Wait a minute, that wasn't me.

Mrs. Lady-in-White sat, laying her hands on her land. She appeared as though she was waiting for me, waiting for me to speak or do something, like an audience to a performer.

"Nice harp."

She rotated her head just a bit to the harp. "Is that what you humans call it? We call it a Carosphone."

"By 'we', you mean your species?"

She nodded, glad to see I knew what she was saying. "I take it you're a Host?"

"Yeah. I'm guessing you're a Parasite."

"Exactly. My Host as allowed me 30 minutes to be able to converse with you. This meeting won't take more than 20, provided there aren't any… distractions."

I leaned forward. "Then talk."

" _E to, may I ask what had transpired during the time I was sleeping?"_

" _I'll take it from here. Host, you concentrate on this Parasite."_

Lady-in-White picked up her harp, or Carosphone, and started to pluck the strings. The melody produced was soft and soothing, making me feel the urge to rest my head in the table and close my eyes.

"Do you like it?", she asked. Her voice matched with the tune of the song. "The notes, the… melody. There are no lyrics nor voices, but it calls to you, asks you to rest from the exhaustion and tiredness you feel."

My eyes were half-lidded and I was ready to drift off into the dream world when a large melee/gunfight erupted in my head.

Explosions rocketed and yelling, shouting and what appeared to sound as stomping instantly forced my brain away from the grasp of sleepiness.

BAM! BOOM! AAAAHHHHH!

In three words, that pretty much summed up the chaos occurring within my brain.

" **Oi, what's happening inside there?"**

" _Ah, Host. I'm glad you didn't fall asleep! It would have been very troublesome if you did. Seriously, did you my forget us three aren't the only Parasites?"_

" **I very much didn't, thank you. But what's happening there? You got into some kind of disagreement?"**

The Lady-in-White tilted her head. She seemed confused. I motioned for her to wait. " **At least keep the commotion down, I was trying to sleep."**

" _Exactly."_ Ava came online. " _That was what we were trying to prevent. For all we know, she was trying to lure you into sleeping so she could stab you with a spoon or something."_

" **A spoon's blunt."**

" _In the right hands, anything is sharp and deadly."_

She was right. I might have almost fallen into a trap right there. Why did I even trust her so suddenly I'm the first place?

" **Still, why didn't one of you just appear and shake my head or something?"**

The innocent question preceded the long silence that followed it.

" _...Apologies. Kraue's idea."_

" _Wait, you're blaming this on me?"_

Fully awake and aware of my surroundings, I once again prepared to talk with this Parasite, this time more wary of her. "Sorry, the song's nice and all but I thought conversations happen when both parties are awake?"

"I'm sorry.", she profusely said, "I wanted to test if the information was true."

"What information?" Clearly, this Parasite knew more than me. "Are you an assassin?"

"Oh, definitely not. I'm a messenger. I had planned to meet you when you were alone but I never had the chance and had to resort to… my methods."

"Just methods?", I asked, partially scoffing.

"It's true. My power pales in comparison to others."

"I have the feeling you're just putting yourself down to seem weaker."

" _She is. She is stronger than a Parasite who is just a supporter."_

Psi suddenly appeared next to the table. His eyes glared at the Parasite across me, who was immensely surprised by his appearance. "Is that not right, Somiel?"

Somiel, huh? How does Psi know her? More importantly, why didn't he tell me? A little bit more of information would have helped.

I looked at the two of them, switching my gaze as I studied their reactions. Psi was angry, maybe even raging given the hostility radiating of him, all of them directed to the other Parasite, Somiel. His feelings were more radical than before, up at the satellite tower. If I were to take a guess, it would be due to a grudge that resulted in his unrestrained anger.

Somiel, on the other hand, seemed saddened by Psi's sudden appearance. Judging from the attitudes both gave, it only furthered my belief that there was some kind of unfavourable and unwanted history between them.

Of course, inferring all of this from their eyes proved that I was better at reading people than I thought.

Well, Hachiman, you've extended this to aliens as well. Next thing you know, you'll call the police telling them a puppy's planning a nuclear attack.

"Psi.", Somiel said, "When she mentioned about your Host, I didn't think you were one of them."

"She?", I asked, interrupting Psi who was in the edge of retorting back. "Who's 'she'?"

"I don't know. Only that my Host was presumably working for her. May I ask if we could proceed onto the important topic?"

"Important?", Psi sneered, "Is that not indirectly saying that our meeting is trivial?"

"Psi. Back off."

My words seemed to shake Psi and he glanced at me, obviously irritated. "Sure."

He disappeared and the familiar blue light spiralled up my hand once again. I wasn't focusing on that but I'm Somiel's face, which showed signs of remorse and wistfulness. I tapped my fingers to grab her attention and it worked, all previous facial signs gone and I was back to looking at a Parasite who radiated poshness and slight authority just from sitting there.

Yukinoshita, you now have another competitor. I'll give her a few bonus points if she doesn't sigh.

She sighed. "I came here to pass you a message. As I stated before, I had no chance to talk to you due to complications, so I had to resort to taking over my Host in order to be able to. Hence, the numerous people sleeping presently."

Haruno shifted, mumbling a few words before settling down into a more comfortable position.

"The message is simple, which is why I wondered why my Host labelled it as a high-priority task."

"Say it."

"Thank you."

I was taken aback. "Uhh… sure?"

"No, that's the message."

My mind reeled from the sheer insanity of all this. "So you went through all this trouble for that? Just to give me a 'thank you'?"

Somiel didn't appear embarrassed. "I have the trouble of comprehending that absurd order as well."

"Did you ever think of asking why?"

"I tried. In my Host's line of work, 'why' doesn't exist."

I leaned back, trying to figure out who could have gone through all of the trouble just for this. My first thought went to Haruno. Her sleep may just be an act to draw suspicion off her and target someone else, but if that was the case, I needed to ask another question.

Why 'thank you'?

For almost of my life, I hadn't received that, except for Komachi. Everyone else had simply ignored me or didn't find that what I did deserved their thanks. Only when reaching high school and meeting the one-member service club at that time did I start receiving those words from other people than my relative, albeit rarely.

And what was Haruno thanking me for? Knowing her and her personality, it could just be a joke for taking care of Yukinoshita or something.

Then what was the whole point of this whole scenario? Could she be wanting me to see something else?

" _Eh? What's that sound?"_

" **You hear something?"**

Somiel must have had the power to read minds, because her eyes now displayed curiosity. "Hear what?"

"Sorry, just talking to someone else."

" _Walking, no climbing, wait, now it's scuttling! At a very high speed!"_ Kraue talked as though he was giving a commentary. " _They're getting louder, louder…"_

Soon, I could hear what he was talking about. The faint sounds of something moving came and started to slowly grow. I wasn't the only one to hear it as well.

"We need to run.", Somiel stated, "Move while we can."

" _We can't leave everyone behind!"_

"I'll stay.", I told Somiel, "I'm not running."

She glared at me. "You can't. If you do, you'll only be putting these people in harm's way."

"Isn't it time out for you? Time's passed beyond your slowed time."

"I'll make an exception for this time only."

" _Playing the hero again, are you not?"_

I didn't have a chance to ask him what he meant because the next thing I knew, I was flying in mid-air.

I crashed into one of the walls, pain racking throughout my body from my left shoulder. I almost cried out, but bit my lip hard as I could, drawing out blood.

Ava delivered a report. " _Warning. Multiple bone fractures in the left arm. Internal bleeding and rupture of the inferior vena cava also present."_

I could feel myself getting dizzy despite all the pain. My eyes were half-lidded and threatened to close completely. Sadly, whatever or whoever threw me in the first place wanted to do it again.

So, ladie and gentlemen, that's how I found myself flying again the second time.

I saw the sign of a store approaching me at a very rapid speed and all I did was close my eyes and wait for the inevitable impact. Judging from Ava's words right now, a miracle would be me surviving this hit. I doubted I could take another one.

 _Maybe I could rest for a second…_

Those same words from two days ago filled my resounded in my head and time seemed to slow down. Thinking about those words, it almost made me grin when I thought of it one my gravestone.

Here lies Hikigaya Hachiman, who always wanted to rest for a second. Now, he finally got it.

My eyes opened, all traces of tiredness and pain gone from them. I scanned my surroundings, taking in all of the details.

" _Host! Are you still alive?"_

" **Yeah. What happened?"**

" _You transformed our eyes into mine. Now you're seeing everything in slo-mo."_

" **That's… actually cool."**

" _When is it isn't? By the way, before you crashland into that sign, why don't you try transforming?"_

I agreed. I imagined my hands turning into his and felt the familiar ripple of waves beneath my skin. This time, however, it wasn't as noticeable as before. Almost as if the waves had lessened.

I did the same for my feet. Although it was harder since I didn't really see them as much as I did for the hands. Feeling the transformation completing, I flipped my body in mid-air, lifting my feet up to come into contact with the wall instead of my head.

" _If you look at your right wrist, Host, you will notice an almost imperceptible, but still detectable string."_

I heeded his advice and sure enough, there was a thin piece of string wrapped around my wrist. " **What do you want to do?"**

" _I'm sure you've figured out the importance of that string."_

With that, I moved my right hand and grabbed the rope, twirling it around my fingers three times. I could already feel the tug of the other party as they started to pull me again.

" **Let's give them the same invitation."**

I swung the rope before the other party did, feeling the role move in the direction I swung it to. At the same time, I used my feet to tightly dig into the sign, utilizing it as an anchor so I wouldn't be dragged along.

I dropped on the ground, pain, though there was considerably less of it it, shooting up. I panted and heaved, my muscles stretched from performing that impossible feat.

"Hikigaya!" Somiel's voice called out to me. She was lying on the floor, her Carosphone lying bent and broken next to her. Some of the strings were cut and were utterly useless and its once shiny and golden appearance was now gone thanks to a few scrapes and scratches. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" After shouting those words, I immediately followed with coughing up blood out from my throat, watching it spatter in the marble floor.

" _Stay still, Ava needs to locate the wounded areas."_

" **I would, if our attacker would give us the time."**

I was looking at the big chunk of rubble and water, where the mysterious attacker crashed into a fountain, knocking the heavy stones onto his body. A human would be incapacitated or dead but in the other hand, I doubted a human had the strength to fling another one into the air.

That left only one explanation. Judging from the scuttling sounds heard earlier and the thin string wrapped around my wrist that stood the strength of lifting me, I had a good idea on what kind of Parasite this was.

A low groan was heard from the ruble, followed by a scream as eight long and sharp legs capable of piercing protruded from the rubble, digging into the ground as the human they were attached to lifted himself up.

He muttered something under his breath, then drew in deep breath and shouted. "You! Kid!"

" _Damn, this guy tho. Damn pro."_

" _Kraue, why are you speaking like that? It is unsightly."_

" _You don't have to be so mean! I was just emphasising the fact he called the Host a baby goat."_

" _Kraue. It's the other one?"_

" _You mean the 'I'm kidding' one?"_

"You've got some nerve.", he growled, "tossing me around like that."

I was so preoccupied I didn't notice Somiel limp next to me. "Are you and him friends?"

"I didn't even know he existed."

He moved forward, using his legs to carefully maneuver over the fallen rubble and people. "No wonder that bounty is high. You'll make a good stepping stone."

"Bounty for what?", I called out.

Like all normal humans, he charged at me instead.

I grabbed Somiel and pulled us back, his legs barely missing us as he ran past, his legs piercing through the floor and leaving behind deep and circular holes when they left.

Since we were standing in front of a wall, I fully expected him to crash into it due to his massive inertia. Instead, he climbed the wall and kept on doing so.

One of the most iconic things about the mall was that the ceilings were completely made up of glass. This was to allow light to stream through the ceiling during the day, reducing the need for more man-made light. During the night, lights built around the whole mall lit up and combined with the darkness of the sky, provided the shoppers and mall-goers a more aesthetic experience.

As he scuttled up, he jumped towards the ceiling and, using his legs to wrap around the metal beams, hung himself upside down.

"What are you?", he asked, "Entity? Mech? You're definitely Mythological."

I was completely confounded by his words and I turned to Somiel for answers. "He's talking about your class. Don't give him it. That's one of the most crucial knowledge needed when facing against a Host, what class of Parasite lives inside them."

" _Information. That Host either contains an Alien or a Mythological-class Parasite."_

" **How do you know?"**

" _Explanation. Mech-class usually don't bleed blood and his Parasites power, affecting the Host's body, works the same way as Kraue's."_

" **Any idea on what he is?"**

" _No. But a while ago, I sensed you thinking about what it could be."_

For all I knew, I could be wrong and throw us way off course of what it could be. Still, an arachnid would be the most likely answer as to what the Parasite was.

And in that class of arachnids, I'd wager it was a spider we were fighting.

"Your head will sell.", the man hissed, his voices sounding less human, "The prize is mine."

His legs let go of the metal beams and he fell. Somiel and I dove right and left respectively as the human/arachnid hybrid landed right where we were. "Stop running!"

I still didn't get why people yelled those lines where the escapee's life is at stake. Does it actually work or something?

Somiel grabbed her Carosphone and furiously plucked the strings, the tempo of her music fast and shifting from one note to the next. Like a tidal wave, drowsiness flooded my brain and tried to shut down all of my systems.

The next moment, I grabbed a shard of glass lying on the ground next to me and stabbed it into my hand. The pain quickly woke me up and I felt more alive than I ever had been.

The bad news was was that it hurt. A lot.

A small yell slipped through my lips as I desperately tried to keep my mouth shut. Out of everything that I was ever hit by, this shard of glass hurt the most, pushing aside the fact that I was hit by a car since I lost consciousness during that time.

" _Pain, huh? No one likes it but it's one of the top most effective things to keep you alert and moving. Speaking of moving, duck!"_

I heeded my advice, dropping to the ground as a leg whizzed by just above my head, cutting part of my shifted off.

My ahoge shifted and bent, reflecting my inner feelings.

 _You'll pay for that._

I dashed forward, taking advantage of the drowsy spider who clumsily stumbled around, his legs moving everywhere as he tried to hit one of us. Somiel kept on playing her instrument, dodging each and every one of the attacks aimed at her.

I was able to get underneath the human, one of his blind spots. His head turned left and right as he desperately searched for his other prey, never noticing I was right below him.

" **Psi? Ava? Kraue?"**

"My advice? Propel yourself up."

"Advice. Best spot to land an attack."

"Errr… beat him up?"

" **Thanks."**

I recalled the feeling jumping from building to building, roof to roof as I quickly covered the distance between the satellite tower and Sobu. Using them as reference, I bent down and using the lizard muscles in my feet, jumped straight up.

My fist was landed right on his chin and I heard a 'crack!' from wherever it came from. Dazed and stunned, the spider legs stopped moving and the guy fell down on the marble tiles.

" _That was…"_ , Kraue started, only to start struggling in finding the right word.

 _Anticlimactic much? Was only one punch needed?_

I landed, sweat running down my brow

and tired from the extensive exercise I had to do today. _Sure hope I never have to exercise again._

Using my remaining strength, I walked over to Somiel, who, given her lower stamina, was already gasping and breathing heavily for oxygen. As I got closer, Psi made a 'tch' sound in my head, to which I responded with a commanding stop.

 _Seriously, how bad is the history between these two?_

I was just about to reach her when her bluish-eyes widened. "Behind you!"

Just like every character in every movie, book, tv-show, wherever it came from and whatever the situation, I followed exactly the cliched steps when someone utters those words. Human instinct and gut feeling would tell us do exactly what they said, yet when I was younger, I'd always find what they do illogical and wished that for once, someone would dodge without needing to flip 180 degrees or, even better, prevent the whole situation from happening by keeping their eyes on their surroundings and not taking them off the enemy they just knocked down.

What a hypocrite I was, doing what you set me told others to do.

Cool guys don't look at explosions, but so do dead ones.

Something wrapped around my neck and contracted tightly, causing me to instinctively try to put my fingers in between the foreign object and my neck so that I could breathe. I coughed and gasped as it pulled tighter and only by feeling it did I realise that wrapped around my neck was a coil of spider silk.

At the other end, the human was pulling the silk, wrapping it around his four fingers to ensure that it wouldn't escape his grasp easily. It was an added measure as I saw that the silk did not come from his pockets not a bag but from his hands.

In fact, the skin of his hands was opened as silk was produced from inside his body.

I immediately thought of that alien criminal in Men in Black 3, almost retching from how disgusting it looked.

His eyes, or more precisely, his one good eye since the other one was heavily injured glared at me in hatred. "We go up.", he growled inhumanly.

His legs then extended and dug into the sides of the walls, using them as leverage to pull himself up. Me, being the unlucky person on the other end of the the silk, was pulled up as well.

" _Where's he taking us? Doesn't he know he could risk the public seeing his form?"_

" _He's not taking us out of the building."_

" **Help! Air! Throat! Tight!"**

We reached the top of the mall, the cold air of the night blasting my face. Like a spider, the guy started shooting webs around, creating one, massive spider web being built for me and me alone. At times like these, I might have been thankful or irritated but situations like these called for a new set of emotions.

He pulled the silk towards me and grabbed me in his hands. My throats was still trying to breathe so I couldn't speak as he brought his face close to mine. I could smell the wine and a hint of sake in his breath, which made me want to recoil.

"Remember", he hissed, "that you could never beat me, rookie."

I managed to get a few words out. "How's… your… face?"

In response, he let me go, releasing the silk around my neck and I started to inhale the sweet air I so desperately lacked in the last few minutes. I swear I'll never take you for granted again!

" _Host?"_ , Ava asked, " _Is this right side up?"_

It took me a few moments for me to realise I was dangling upside down.

I began twirling around, courtesy of the other human/Parasite hybrid who was wrapping me up. I struggled against the silk, but despite how flexible and weak it looked, I could not create a single cut or tear in it.

I read somewhere that despite how weak spider silk seemed like, the minuscule effort needed to detach a spider web from the walls, it was much stronger than it actually looked like. For this particular silk, it was comparable to steel that was flexible and bendable.

My mind drifted towards the Bark spider, whose silk was about 10 times stronger than the ones in spider webs. Is this what every creature caught in a spider web had to fight against?

I tried to move my hands to break the rope, feeling the silk move further up my body as it covered me. It already dawned on me earlier that I was being wrapped in a cocoon and I now knew how it felt to be a trapped creature in a web, slowly being wrapped up into their inevitable death.

"After this is done, I'll go for your little friend down there. After that, enjoy your freedom while it lasts before dying a painful and excruciating death."

" **Hey, you guys have anything I should know off? Preferably before I get wrapped?"**

" _I agree. Ava? Kraue? I am highly useless in these scenarios."_

" _Host. I have one. Just let me take control of your body for now."_

" **Go ahead."**

I kept on struggling, desperate not to experience the terror of being a cocoon. While I didn't have claustrophobia, the experience of being trapped in total darkness and being unable to move might make it my number one fear.

Suddenly, I felt my hands and feet transform back into mind, as well as the presence of two objects in my hands.

Wait, these weren't unfamiliar. They feel like…

" _Squeeze the trigger!"_

I did as instructed and two deafening blasts from two different guns fired in opposite directions, hitting the adjacent walls that the spider web was attached to.

Explosions of blue on both sides destroyed the anchors of the silk, the walls, resulting in pieces of it coming loose and fallen.

This, in turn, caused the web slack and come loose. With a screech, the human lost his balance and fell, taking me with him.

I fell, wondering how many times I've soared through the air within the last 24 hours. " _Instructions! Point your hand towards the walls!"_ , Ava instructed.

" **Any of them?"**

" _Yes! Do it fast!"_

I saw the ground approaching and without hesitation, pointed my hand towards the railings on the top floor. Immediately, wires shot out from my hand and wrapped around the railing. A whirring sound was heard before I heard a 'click' and I stopped, my feet a few centimetres of the ground.

Unfortunately, the third sound I heard was a 'crack' from my wrist where the wire shot out from.

" _Error. Apologies."_

" _Ouch, that must have hurt."_

The wire was released from my wrist and I dropped into the floor, leaving the wire to dangle by itself in the air. Under normal circumstances, I would have been keeling over the pain but it seemed so trivial as compared to the one in my other hand.

Speaking of injuries, they now consisted of a broken wrist, a punctured vein, a pierced hand and a whole bunch of scratches, scrapes and cuts during my first fight as Host.

"I never want to fight again.", I muttered I myself. As usual, 3 other people had the luxury of listening to my whispered words.

" _Sorry, but this is just the first out of countless subsequent ones."_

" **Is that supposed to make me feel better?"**

" _I think so?"_

" **Questioning yourself only deteriorates your credibility."**

Cradling my broken wrist in the palm of my other hand, I limped over to the fallen spider, who appeared to me be able to react fast enough to the sudden change of circumstances.

He laid down coughing, all traces of his spider legs and silk home except for the ones left behind on the ground and a few holes in the back of jos shirt. He was lying on us back so I couldn't tell how many there were, but I'd bet it'd total to eight.

Somiel stood over the fallen human, curiously staring at the attacker. She was in better shape than me but that didn't mean she was exempt from scratches and cuts made on her. "He's down, won't be going anywhere."

I noticed her Carosphone wasn't anywhere. "Where's your-"

"-Carosphone? Gone. I made it disappear for a short while. That means everyone is going to start waking up soon as there's no more music to keep them sleeping."

"Next issue. What about him?"

I didn't need to do anything, motion or move myself, for her to understand who I was talking about.

"My Host asked me to let her assume control. She wants to take him."

The guy groaned and I walked over to him. I was sure he was incapacitated enough to be unable to launch a surprise attack against me. Just for good measure, I transformed my eyes.

I kneeled next to him. "You said there was a bounty on my head. Who was it from?"

The guy turned his head and it struck me how human be looked right now. Every feature on his body was gone, leaving behind only a man with bruises and injuries all over his body, albeit to a lesser extent. "I…there was…ranking…"

"What ranking?"

"...Yuk...a...ro…"

Without any indication, an object flew by me and struck the man, causing him to yell and scream. I looked back in the direction the object came from and quickly transformed, jumping towards a vantage point where I could see the area.

" _Where's the shooter? I can't see him!"_

" _Report. That man is convulsing, no, now he's still!"_

" _What!?"_

" _Report. Exactly like I said. That Parasite, Somiel, she's tending to him but it doesn't seem to have any effect."_

" _She can't help."_ , Psi solemnly grimaced, " _Her abilities don't allow that power."_

I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, no one running around with a rifle or a gun. " **I don't think the shooter will come back for us."**

" _Why?"_

" **Logic. Why shoot that guy first if I was unaware of them? It's most likely they were aiming to hit him."**

"I jumped back towards Somiel, who solemnly lifted her head up. Just from reading her eyes, I understood what had happened. The inevitable.

I looked at the body, lying still and motionless, face unmoving and I felt fear pierce my heart.

I felt sick to my stomach.

 _I wanted to vomit._

Someone was dead.

" _Host. We need to leave."_

" _I agree. We need to formulate our next plan of action."_

However, I wasn't listening. Something had caught my eye and I walked forward, kneeling next to Somiel. I reached my hand out and picked up the object which had struck the man's neck.

Somiel curiously stared at the object in my hands. "What is it?", she asked, sounding worried.

I stared at it, wanting to disbelieve what I saw. That iconic splash of red in the back, the sharp front designed to pierce through the surfaces of object.

There was no doubt.

A dart.

 _That stormy evening._

* * *

I opened the door to my home. "Tadaima.", I called out.

"Okaeri!", my cute imouto called back.

I walked forward, seeing my sister on the couch, dressed in casual clothing with a book in front of her face.

"Studying?", I asked her, "You don't have any upcoming exams."

"Nope, this is Komachi's fashion book!" She held it up in front of my face.

"Oh, ok."

I wondered how whenever Komachi referred to herself in third-person, it was cute. She must be the only person on this planet capable of committing such an endearing act.

I walked over to the kitchen and started to prepare dinner for me and Komachi. As usual, I predicted our parents would come home late.

" _Host, are you ok?"_

" **Just a little shaken up, that's all."**

" _What about your sister over there?"_

" **Please refer to her as angel."**

My sisc-, I meant caring, tendencies still showed up from time to time.

After eating, I headed up to my room, setting my bag down on the floor and taking out my books, preparing to do my homework. Yuigahama sent me a text over an hour ago. It went something like:

"Hikki, why didn't you come to school today! Me and Yukinon were worried! Anyways, Hiratsuka-sensei…"

Typical. It was just like her to send something like that.

I tried writing down my essay on the evolution of something during this random time. Keyword: tried. The end result was full of grammar, vocabulary and spelling mistakes. My writing was also much messier than my normal handwriting.

" _Preoccupied?"_

" **Turns out, I still am."**

After that event, the people started waking up and I realised Somiel's effects were wearing off. After she assured me she would be fine and remove the body, I sped back to Saize, pretending to wake up along with Haruno and Isshiki, who were shocked by the damage in the restaurant but didn't suspect I had a part to play in it.

I replayed the scene of me holding the dart, twisting it 360 degrees as I looked for a clue. Who was it from? Any adulation with any corporation or person, no matter how well-known they were?

And the body. Sure, I had seen deaths on screen in movies, but to see one in real life meant that person wasn't an actor, just a victim.

Psi tried to console me. " _It wasn't your fault."_

" **I know. It's the fact that someone signed the death sentence for him."**

" _...When you accepted the bond, I knew there was little chance that you would think about killing. You had knowledge that there would be fights, that there would be other Hosts, but trust me when I say that many Hosts's, including yourself, had death crossing their mind. No one ever expects to deal a fatal blow on someone else."_

" **What was he talking about, the bounty and ranking?"**

I delved into my mind and saw Psi floating around, the only one awake. He floated over to me and out of nowhere, a list appeared before us.

There were names of other Parasites and information about them, their level, categories, classes. Beside each name was a picture, some containing pictures of people and others with nothing in them. There were also numbers next to each picture, ascending in numerical value downwards. Number 1 was at the top of the page, followed by number two and so on.

"This", Psi gestured, "are the rankings of each Parasite, their Host, level, information on each one. The list displays each Parasites last known information, show everything here may not be completely reliable since every Parasite can also access the list."

He started scrolling down, using his mind since he had no hands, and I saw the names flashing by, not giving me any time to read. "I'm here.", he said, stopping in number 267.

I read his information. Level: Unknown. Class: Unknown. Everything about him was unknown, save for his Host picture, which displayed a picture of me in the mall, a fountain in the background. "How-?"

"When a Host sees another Host, the list is automatically updated with their picture, but the two conditions, seeing the Host in real life and realizing that they actually are a Host, must be met in order for it to take place."

I knew where he was going. "You think it was Somiel?"

"I have no doubt."

Silence passed between us, before I thanked him and went back outside.

I got up, turning the light off and leaving my books on my table. Still dressed in my school uniform and not bothering to take a bath, I laid down on my comfortable bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Two days ago, I had almost been robbed and woke up in my own house, where I heard their voices for the first time.

Yesterday, I woke up and went to school, listening to Yuigahama and Yukinoshita acting differently, as well as having an assassin outside the club door.

Today, I climbed a satellite tower and rushed towards my school, only to find the assassin dead and a girl who clearly knew more than me. Coming to meet her at Saize led to an encounter Haruno and Isski, which then led to one with Somiel and fight which took someone's life.

I needed answers. Tomorrow, I'd find that girl.

Darkness overcame me.

* * *

 **Concord's note:** My first ever fight scene. I tried to create it in my mind so that I could put it into words and I have to say I'm proud of my work.

Thanks for your reviews guys. Also, please leave your harsh criticism and reviews if you want to. Of course I can't speak for every single writer out there, but I think a bad review hurts them a lot. Still, reviews help guide them along and see the readers opinion on their story. Took me a long time to realise this.

Anyways, yes, stuff may be moving a bit fast for you guys but I think you'll further understand what's happening as this story progresses.

Signing off.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 - Arc 1: And Finally, The Introductory Arc Ends With An Introduction**

"-incurred great losses spent on repairing the building. People were shocked and anxious, claiming that they had no idea on what had occurred inside. The police are still investigating the cause, but so far, no there is no clear moti-"

The TV was shut off. Mistress was back to staring at the screen wordlessly. The silence passed between us was terrifying, the kind that preceded before the horrifying jumpscare or event.

I heard a sharp intake of breath and froze up immediately. I was expecting to hear a shout or a yell about the incompetence of the company's investigator and I, as always, would reply back to her in a calm and composed manner, silently hiding the fear shaking my heart.

"What's the report?"

It came out as something short of a whisper. I strained my ears to hear it, for I knew when Mistress was like this, any word or phrase misheard would bear severe consequences. "Nothing, Mistress. Our investigators are still looking into the cause. We still have more evidence than the police do, but we still don't know what had happened."

"I see."

Silence reigned down upon us again. For 14 years, I was instructed to be Mistress's bodyguard and in my whole life, I had only seen her like this only once.

I couldn't remember the circumstances surrounding her during that time. What were they again?

No matter how hard I racked my head and replayed every single day for the last 14 years, I still couldn't remember what had happened. All I knew was that she stayed in her room everyday and anyone who attempted to get her out was met with severe consequences.

I remember that Mistress's mother almost managed to coax Mistress out of the room, but it failed when she accidentally said something, driving Mistress into a fit of anger and immediately shut the door in her face. I, having to stay outside the room everyday, saw the failed attempts and the numerous amount of people who came and went, all without success.

That was when she was 9 years old, around the time I had married my wife.

Back to the issue at hand, Mistress wasn't doing so well. The TV screen was off, show it should've at least reflected her expression but no matter how hard I tried to crane my neck, I couldn't see what was on Mistress's face.

"Akihito."

I almost jumped out of my shoes at sound of my name. "Yes, Mistress?"

"What's the time?"

"It's currently 7:00am."

"Huh? I didn't expect it to be so early."

"Neither did I, Mistress."

"...What happened yesterday? I believe you were present at the scene of this event."

Yesterday. At that mall. I gulped. "I'm sorry Mistress. It seems that I was knocked out for the duration of the fight. When I recovered, I found myself lying on the floor, the event having passed already."

"By who?"

"The Carosphone."

It was no secret to me about the existence of the Parasites. After making some inquiries, I discovered I was not the only person sent to the mall. The Host of the Parasite, Somiel, had also been present and I believed that she knew what had transpired in the mall.

Unfortunately, she had passed out due to excessive use of her Parasite and was now in one of our hospitals for recovery. Because of her, I had to bear the shame of being unable to report anything important to Mistress's parents.

Mistress stood up, walking towards the fridge before pulling out a carton of milk. She poured herself a glass and drank it, the milk sloshing in the glass before going down her throat. I kept my eyes peeled, instinctively looking out for any out of place.

Only when she put her glass down did I notice Mistress's eyes. They were tired, exhausted, relentless in whatever kept her up in the wee hours of the night.

As to how I know this, I had to stay outside of her room the whole night and heard a lot of talking. Mistress was the only person in the room at that time, so I was almost tempted to call the her personal doctor for a check-up.

I fiddled with the sunglasses on my head, cursing whoever had to do such a horrendous act. I mean, wearing sunglasses 24/7 dressed in a suit? I thought that only happened in movies and my belief turned out to be wrong when I was undertaking this job.

Mistress's eyes brought me back to yesterday, where I was finally able to take off the suit and wear casual clothes for once. Naturally, that meant a reconnaissance mission and my task was to spy on a boy.

His eyes were comparable to the ones Mistress had right now, dead inside, except they were worse. Much, much worse. I almost had a heart attack when I saw him in person. Years and years of training had taught me to keep my cool.

It made me wonder why Mistress's parents designated the mission and the boy 'top-priority'.

Mistress shuffled back to the couch before laying down with a groan. "Akihito", she muttered, "why did I have to make that stupid mistake?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

I almost regretted the words that came out of my mouth, wishing that I could take them back. If anything, I was the first person, not including her parents, who should know. However, if Mistress was fazed at those words, she didn't show it. "Aaaahhhhh! He probably thinks I'm some weirdo now! Aaaaahh!"

Like all humans, I was naturally tempted to ask who, but I bit my tongue. Asking too many questions could drive Mistress into a worse mood.

I won't be able to face him today!" Mistress, please stop. That pillow won't be able to take a few more hits.

A knock on the door caused both of us to look at it. It opened to reveal a woman of stunning beauty.

Now, to get some things out of the way, I was already married. This meant that I was already taken and no matter how many women wore make-up or dressed beautifully or had good curves, only one would take the number one position. Namely, my wife.

It also meant that if I tried to have an affair, I'd be hung, tortured, shot and buried, where no one would ever know what happened to Kurusu Akihito, the man whose death remained an enigmatic mystery to all but the killer.

In the more likely scenario, the killing would never make it to the ears of the media. Just another disappearance in the city of Chiba.

Of course this was me exaggerating; Wait, was it?

I felt sweat running down my brow.

The woman glided elegantly into the room, her long dress, thought it was more of a robe, dragging on the ground behind her. I respectfully stood with my back even straighter. She smiled in my direction and nodded her head. "Hello, Akihito-san."

"M-morning Ichiro-san."

Ichiro Akane headed towards her daughter, who continued lying down on the couch, pouting. "Mom."

"Dear, it's almost time for breakfast. You're going to be late for school." She knelt down beside her daughter, who was still affected by last night's events.

"School…", Mistress muttered with a dazed look.

Her mother only smiled, getting to her feet and heading straight to the door. Before she left, however, she uttered a few words that were more effective than 100 adrenaline shots to Mistress.

"If you're lucky, you might be able to see _him_."

With that, the exchange between mother and daughter ended within a few seconds.

Mistress shot up, her eyes now displaying a peculiar emotion and dashed towards her bedroom door, shutting it and locking it. Staying where I was, I was left to look outside the window behind the TV and wondered how the people in the buildings down below felt as they started their daily routine of work and rest once again.

The image of the boy, whom I remembered was named Hikigaya Hachiman, came to the front of my mind once again. I remembered how he acted in that mall, his interactions with those two people and his sudden confrontation with me. During our brief talk, I analyzed him as best as he could.

He didn't stand out in a crowd. Actually, it was more likely to say he couldn't stand out because he couldn't be found in the first place. He was the type to be ignored and glossed over or to be ridiculed and bullied by his peers. Source? First-hand experience.

The two girls, however, were a sort of enigma. One was a regular high-school teenager, with hazel hair and an eccentric personality. My instincts told me she was someone who would act clumsy or clueless, but clearly knew more than she knew.

The other one remained a mystery. Why would-?

The sudden 'BANG!' sound of a door made me quickly twist my head to the source, where Mistress was dashing across the room, all dressed up in her school clothes with her bag slung over her shoulder. As I my eyes followed her, I inwardly thanked the sunglasses for being opaque. I've been told that me with bewildered eyes was a funny and humorous, courtesy of my wife.

As Mistress walked out of the door, I followed her as well, trailing a few steps behind her in case anyone decided to launch a close range attack on her. In the event of a shooting, I was confident my body was large enough to shield her and that I had enough strength left to shoot the shooter.

After taking the elevator, we were met by a squad or security guards, who promptly saluted Mistress before she dismissed them. At once, we departed for the front entrance, where 3 limousines were waiting.

Truly, only such an affluent company could provide this.

During the trip to the school, the ride was silent. Fulfilling my role as a bodyguard, I occasionally glanced out of the window, half-expecting an out of place person or a rampaging vehicle to 'accidentally' cause an accident that just so happened to involve the daughter of one of the most prominent families here in Chiba.

We arrived at the school, Sobu High, I believed. I was just about to signal the driver to open my door when Mistress suddenly out up a hand. "Wait!"

Confused, I sat back down and put my hand on my gun, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. Mistress was pressed up against the window with both her hands beside her and I followed my gaze to where she was looking at.

Students were still streaming into the school, with most glancing and gossiping towards our direction. No doubt 3 pitch-black limousines would definitely raise some eyebrows and questions. Because of the amount of students, I couldn't tell what or who Mistress was looking at. My eyes quickly scanned the faces of the crowd and I knew for a fact that my colleagues and those under me were doing the same.

No one. So who-?

My eyes widened, spotting a familiar face from last night's events.

Despite his attempts to blend in or remain unseen, to me, he was the person who stood out the most. I carefully analysed his expression and saw him grimace when he saw the throng of students gathered outside.

He hates crowds, huh?

His eyes glanced from the crowds to the limousines. They briefly scanned the objects of everyone's interest and for a moment, I thought they almost rested on me for a split second longer. Like he recognised me and didn't want to be found out.

Impossible. The limousine windows are tinted heavily to the point where you can't see anything inside, even with the inside illuminated. It was possible to reduce the tint from the dashboard, but they shouldn't be reduced right now.

For the second time today, I sweated.

Without even bothering to gawk or state like the other students, he slipped behind them and passed through the school gates, unfazed by the commotion. My eyes continued to closely watch him until he was out of sight, having gone inside the school doors.

I turned my attention back to Mistress. "Mistress, we should-"

"Hachiman?", she softly whispered.

Wasn't that the name of the boy last night? "Sorry, Mistress, who are you-?"

"Akihito. I'm going out to school now. Please don't follow me."

With those parting words, she opened the door and stepped out, the students initial gossip now becoming much louder. She walked into the crowd, ignoring most of them and slightly conversing with some, but I knew something had happened.

I was befuddled, but still same. I took out my receiver and spoke into it.

"Make sure Mistress gets inside safely. Sniper teams, shoot anyone who might be a threat on sight."

Who the hell are you?

* * *

" _That's him alright."_

Kraue's voice agreed with mine as I headed up the stairs to my classroom.

" **But seriously, you guys couldn't have told me earlier about my lack of energy?"**

Today had started off on a bad note.

Waking up from my nap early in the morning, I had discovered I was extremely hungry and to alleviate my hunger, I headed downstairs to eat some instant ramen. After finishing my first bowl, I had another one.

Then another one.

Then one more.

Those plus Komachi's delicious breakfast still didn't make stop my hunger and only after eating two sandwiches did I learn the reason why.

" _We were caught up last night!", Kraue argued, "We couldn't have told you."_

" **Yesterday morning?"**

" _...Point taken."_

Apparently, like all Parasites, they need energy. So they absorb their required energy from their Host, which is the reason why I felt so tired and hungry this morning. In other words, keeping Kraue means I have to eat more.

" _Agreed. Kraue is definitely a burden."_

" _Hey, wait a second, why is it only me? You two are Parasites as well."_

" _Unlike you, we are not biologically structured. Naturally, this means we don't need food nor drinks to sustain our lives."_

" **So what do you guys use up?"**

" _I don't use anything, although I am speaking for myself here, so you need to ask Ava directly."_

" _Nothing. It's only Kraue needs resources."_

I stopped by a vending machine, inserting a few coins in and watching a yakisoba bun fall out. I picked it up and opened it, taking a bite and savouring the taste of the bread. Sometimes, even the plainest things in life taste the best. That does not mean anything tops MAX Coffee.

I looked left and right, noticing the emptiness of the corridors. "Strange.", I muttered to no one in particular, "I guess most of the school body is outside."

" **What do you guys suggest we do about that guy, Kurusu Akihito?"**

" _I suggest we gather more information about him. He obviously has ulterior motives for you."_

As they were suggesting ideas one after another, I walked to my class, ignoring the conversation in my head. Using my skills, I quickly tuned out the conversation and instead opted for looking at my surroundings.

I opened the classroom door, startling a few people who were busy talking among themselves. As I went to my seat and pretended to sleep, I discreetly monitored the noise of the conversations happening around me.

"Did you hea-?"

"-hter of Ichiro-"

"-rival Miura-san-"

Well Miura, today just isn't your lucky day. First Yukinoshita, then this random girl. To be honest, most of what I was hearing was pointless. I looked at the clock on the wall, revealing the time to be 37 minutes before school officially started. Looks like I accidentally got here too early. Must be the reason why Komachi shooted me stranger glances this morning.

" _Host."_ , Ava asked, " _Forgive me for interrupting, but would anyone know about Blood's host?"_

" **Nope. It hasn't appeared on the news yet nor are people talking about it. The other alternative was that they did, but the arrival of some new student distracts them more than the death of a human."**

" _Burn."_

I returned back to pretending to sleep, listening to the sounds of people coming in and out as time seemed to pass by as fast as a snail's pace. My first task today was to check on Yuigahama and Yukinoshita. There was a small chance that they saw Blood's Host and an even smaller chance they knew about his death. Yuigahama I could talk to before school started, just a quick word with her, but Yukinoshita would have to wait until school ends.

My second, finding out what that 'Kurusu Akihito' person was doing here. I now highly doubted that he was FBI, perhaps he said it to throw suspicion off him. When I used Kraue's eye to scan the limousines, it was almost impossible for me to recognise anyone except him. There was someone else in the backseat with him, but her or she looked down before I was able to get a good look at their face. Sad, what a coincidence that happened.

Thirdly, the girl from yesterday. She was an enigma, a puzzle and my agreement to meet with her yesterday has resulted in me encountering Isshiki and Haruno instead, which then led to the meeting of the Kurusu person and another Parasite, who then fought alongside me against another Parasite, who had died from the same darts which had hit my robbers three days ago. I had to find out who she was and since she was wearing the Soubu uniform, she must have been another student.

If I were saying all of this outloud, I would have died or passed out from continuous use of my lungs. "I'm so confused.", I muttered. Even I had a hard time understanding what had taken place over the last four days.

I hope all the read- sorry, Parasites had an easier time trying to wrap their heads around this. I almost forgot breaking the fourth wall wasn't one of my abilities.

Or was it?

Hmmmm….

I felt a soft tap on my shoulder and I looked up, my eyes instantly gazing into a pai- AHEM, Hikigaya Hachiman. Look up.

" _Warning. Rotating 180 degrees."_

Ignoring the sudden interference of Ava, I looked up into pouting brown eyes and a troubled expression that I had to use all of my willpower to turn away.

"Hikki! You've got to help me!"

Nope. Not today, Yuigahama. Not today.

"I didn't do my Japanese literature homework! Sensei will kill me!"

"Yuigahama.", I said solemnly, "What Sensei will punish you with will be nothing compared to what she does to me."

"But I don't need to be punished if I hand it in!"

Her eyes were practically begging for my homework and unable to resist, I sighed and reached into my bag, taking out the descriptive and verbose piece of literature that I had completed within the early hours of morning, when it was still dark outside. In all my haste, I actually managed to write a 3-page review on the book we had finished last week.

As I gave it to her, Yuigahama's eyes practically shone as though she had died and seen an angel coming down to reward her for all the good things she had done throughout her life. You do realise homeroom will start before you even finish it? Look at the time.

She grasped the papers with both her hands, her mouth slowly opening to smile with an open mouth. Meanwhile, I still sat in front of her, wondering where her clique went. A loud cheer suddenly sounded and I immediately came to the conclusion that they were outside.

I leaned my head on the table, closing my eyes and feeling the fatigue finally hit me. "Good grief, more trouble.", I mumbled to myself.

" _Trouble will always come naturally to Hosts."_

"These last few days have been so hectic. Why can't I get some peace and quiet?"

"Eh, Hikki? What did you say?"

"Nothing."

" _Peace and quiet are rare nowadays, are they not?"_

"Not if you're a loner."

* * *

"Oi, Hikigaya."

What's that? A shadowed figure?

"Hikigaya!"

I woke up, lifting my head at precisely the same moment I felt my shoulder being shaked. Once again, I looked into another pair of eyes, these ones overflowing with lividness and elation. What's up with me staring into eyes? Was it some kind of new trend I had roped myself into unknowingly?

My vision refocused, this time recognising who exactly stared back at me. "Oh, Sensei."

"Don't 'Oh Sensei' me. Homeroom has started."

My eyes quickly flicked in the direction of my classmates, most of whom were staring at my predicament. Why didn't anyone bother waking me up? Traitors! Cowards! The whole lot of you!

" _They can't be traitors if they never appeared to be on your side."_

" _ **Excellent point. One for team Kraue."**_

" _So Kraue is officially a one-man army?"_

" _What's that supposed to mean!?"_

After getting scolded by Sensei, with hints of an impending death masked by her words to meet her 'in her office' after school ends. My instincts told me I wouldn't survive if I did what she threa-, my mistake, 'asked'. I had a feeling that my guts would wholeheartedly agree, had it not been for the grumbling sound coming from my stomach. Another way of saying 'You'll live longer, but you'll die a more painful death if you feed me food.'

For majority of the lesson, I mostly shifted between sleeping and staying awake, thankful that my intense novel reading in my childhood provided me the answers to the surprise questions she quizzed me on. It was a good last thing to see, the enraged but composed face of Hiratsuka Shizuka, taken aback by surprise. Did you not learn anything last lesson about my no. 78 skill, 'Perfect Memory'?

I even remembered Yamaha-san name, Yamaha Yama. Though I feel like that was off by a letter or two…

By the time recess had come around, I was almost on the brink of going into a slumber I would never wake up from. The pain was unbearable and I almost had no energy to take out my packed lunch of two, wholemeal slices of plain bread. I opened the lid and muttering 'itadakimasu' as low as possible to conserve the little energy I had remaining, I devoured the bread, finishing it in 3-4 bites per piece. At the end, I felt like I had drunk a greater max level potion of healing and rejuvenation, my hunger and lust for food gone. Sometimes, I wondered why it was the little things in life that were the best.

"Hikki."

What now, Yuigahama? By the way, did you hand up my homework to Sensei as well as yours when she left the classroom? Disastrous consequences could follow.

"I m-made this for you… Here!"

She thrust a wrapped package towards me, pink cloth covering a rectangular object. I looked at the box, then her, then behind me.

" _Were you expecting someone else?"_

I forgot. My desk was right beside the wall. I turned my head again, trying to wrap my mind around the unbelievable fact that I was getting something from Yuigahama. The exchange so far had already elicited some people into looking at the two of us, especially her clique who were by far the most interested in what was happening. I could see Tobe straining his neck, as well as Miura who was silently giving me death vibes.

I'm sorry Miura, but compared to what I witnessed yesterday, your glares don't even faze me one bit.

"Ok." I gently took the object from her, carefully setting it on my table. I looked at her again, seeing her trembling and fidgeting with her fingers. "Are you sure it's ok? You don't look fi-."

"I am!", she responded a little too loudly. Behind her, I could already see Miura ready to come at me with a knife, probably thinking that I was doing something bad to her. It's all a misunderstanding. Sheesh. "Just...open it please."

The 'please' at the end incited me to give into my instincts and open it. I unwrapped the pink cloth and let it fall down, revealing a lunchbox. This made me remember the only time I received a present, only to be confused when unwrapping the wrapping revealed just another box for me to open. That alone made me confused on why the wrapping was even present in the first place.

However, now that I have progressed beyond the intelligence of the average human's mind-

" _Oh boy. Another monologue."_

"Thanks Yuigahama." To be astonished would be an understatement. Frankly, I never received many presents or gifts from anyone, the only times I did was it being obligatory aside from the christmas example I recently mentioned. I opened the box, revealing a cooked omelette with mushrooms stacked on plain white rice that literally was white. It was so white, too white actually, that I almost thought she used paint and a maid cafe' Nyan Nyan Nyan!' chant to produce the colour.

I sat there, my mouth slightly hung open before I closed it. Disbelief ran rampant in my brain. Yuigahama made this? This?

Apparently, some of my classmates were feeling the former as they all started whisper among themselves. Her clique, in particular, were one of the most affected by Yuigahama Yui's sudden blitzkrieg.

Yuigahama pulled out a chair and sat down next to me, still nervous but smiling happily. That smile was infectious and the next thing I knew, I'd be arrested for being a pervert.

" _That smile doesn't go well with the eyes. Have you considered seeing an optician? How about an opthamologist?"_

" **Why do you appear at random times? Plus, where's Psi and Ava? You're the only one who's been speaking more lately."**

" _Busy. With something. For some reason, I feel like they're planning something yet leaving me out of the loop."_

" **Oh, so they're making a sensible decision."**

Ignoring the stuttering and stammering of Kraue, I grabbed the chopsticks and proceeded to take a bite of the omelette, only to realise something.

Yuigahama couldn't cook at all.

While said girl was staring at me, I was facing a dilemma that I had to solve quickly. On one hand, the bento was fresh and delicious looking and so far, all concoctions made by Yuigahama were bad in taste and appearance, so this one might be the first exception. On the other hand, appearances weren't everything, which made them deadlier in many cases. Yuigahama might have managed the outside of the food, but the inside still had yet to be fixed.

I racked my brains, looking for an answer, until I realised I didn't need to look for one after all.

Meh. Whether it's heavenly tasting or was downright disgusting, she took the time to give it to me. I was starting to sound like one of those protagonists who did anything and everything for the people around them, as long they did it under the pretense of 'they went this far already'. Me on the other hand, wasn't the type to fall for such tricks.

Mainly because I had a suspicious feeling about Yuigahama.

I inserted the omelette into my mouth, my taste buds being assaulted by...a cheesy taste? The mozzarella in this omelette completely complemented the mushy, yet firm texture of the omelette. It melted perfectly in my mouth, not too fast nor slow, and all of it combined into me wanting to eat even more of this creation.

Maybe I should try being a food critic. My vocabulary would span far beyond the usual 'good' and 'bad' descriptions.

I started to reach for another piece of omelette, only for Yuigahama to grab my wrist. "Hikki, i-s it g-good?" She was obviously afraid of me telling her it wasn't, but doing that would have been an outright lie.

"Nope. It's actually pretty wonderful, unlike the other compounds you created."

"Mou, Hikki~. It's food, not a weird dish!" A barrage of soft punches hit my arm, the perpetrator keeping it up until they finally rested on my bicep. "Neh, Hikki…"

"Yeah?"

" _Oh my gosh, this is a fantastic movie. Let me get the popcorn and… two, three, ACTION!"_

"Can I feed you?"

Those words, despite being spoken softly, were somehow heard by literally everyone in the room. Whispers started to grow louder, making me feel uncomfortable in the classroom. "Yuigahama, I think I'm capable of feeding myself."

"Not in that way! I just, thought you might have a bit of trouble with your hand. Wait, Hikki, what happened to your hand?"

Which one, I almost asked. I stopped, remembering that my left hand, which should have been in plain view from it dangling by my side, was in all likelihood the one she was referring to. If I recall, that one was the one I intentionally injured by stabbing a piece of glass into it. It still hurt a lot, so I tried to not move it much.

I was proven wrong when Yuigahama reached across me and grabbed my other hand, which was being used to hold the chopsticks. She grabbed, inspecting it with both hands while I was busy trying to ignore her body that was right in front of my face. The close proximity her body was to me started to make me blush and I looked away at the wall, trying to ignore what was happening. I could still feel her hands on my hand but for some reason, her grip felt...tight?

Kraue laughed. " _Wish I had a tape recorder. Or better yet, a camera! What I would give to see this hit the media."_

" **Not helping, and aren't being useless right now?"**

" _Right now, i'd gladly take being useless if it meant watching you."_

"Hikio! What the heck are you doing to Yui!?"

Miura stood up, glaring at me in blazing fury. Read the situation, would you? Do you not see who's doing what to who?

Tobe came over and I inwardly grimaced. Bad enough Yuigahama was busy fretting over my wounds, but Tobe might just reveal and exaggerate it even further. "Woah, Hikitani-kun, did you get into a fight or something?"

No doubt he's seen both of my hands. "Your hands are like, dude, totally wrapped in those bandages man. Did ya go boxing or something? And your face!"

I could felt my face with my other hand and realised there were still some scabs from last night. As a precaution, I lifted my collar higher, hoping there weren't any marks that could be tied with me being tied up. Nice use of that pun, though, Hachiman.

Yuigahama muttered something slightly, and although I didn't hear it, it gave me an ominous feeling. Thankfully, everybody else shook my thought of the matter as I started to hear hears such as 'delinquent' and 'violent.' Great. Let's add another name to the 'Awfully composed list of Hikigaya Hachiman'.

I guess the one good thing was that none of them could associate me with the incident at the mall, which was believed to be a terrorist attack. In all honesty, I'm partially to blame since I did fight back.

Different reactions stemmed from different people in the class. Miura looked ready to come over and yell at me for doing weird actions to her 'friend', Tobe looked ready to announce to the whole school that 'Hikitani-kun' had injured himself in a fight and Hayama, who had the best expression so far, was sporting a concerned expression that didn't reach his eyes.

I knew what he was thinking. I was always a threat to destroying his status quo and I had no intention of doing so. Right now, at least.

Yuigahama was still inspecting my hands when I pulled them away. "Yuigahama, I'm fine. Really."

"Oh, ok Hikki." For some reason, she still was sad.

I patted her head to thank her, just like I sometimes did with Komachi. She blushed and quickly scooted away, back to her clique where they were now probably interrogating Yuigahama. Meanwhile, I continued to eat my lunch, hoping the commotion had died down.

" _Rats. Ended so early?"_

" **I guess it has. What are Psi and Ava doing?"**

* * *

I stood in front of the door, my greatest challenge inside.

I took a deep breath. Come on Hachiman, it's just a door with random strangers you're never going to meet again and who play no significant value in your life.

Except maybe two. Hopefully one.

" **How certain are you that she is inside?"**

" _For me, I am fairly certain that on a scale of one to ten, it would be one."_

" **Then why are we even going here in the first place?"**

" _Explanation. Every other place either ranks zero in the negative range."_

My hand grasped the sliding door and I pulled it, revealing neatly lined rows and columns of tables and chairs, unlike my classroom. Everyone inside looked at the door or glanced briefly at it, before they looked back with surprised eyes. Some might have been confused at the presence of a new stranger. Others, the most infamous guy in school.

Only one person didn't look at me like that. Her blue eyes reflected curiosity as Yukinoshita Yukino was about to eat her sandwich.

I, Hikigaya Hachiman, was now officially in class 2-J.

I walked over to Yukinoshita, who was slightly perturbed at my appearance. "Hikigaya-kun. Would you please remind me why you decided not to come to club yesterday?"

"I told Sensei I was sick."

"Oh? She didn't mention anything about that."

"She probably didn't even bother to take out her phone and inform you."

"You could have informed me or Yuigahama instead."

"I didn't think of that."

The rest of class 2-J were shocked, surprised and confused that I had somehow managed to strike up a conversation with Yukinoshita Yukino. It was of no surprise to me, but that wasn't the real reason I came here.

"Yukinoshita. Do you know anybody in your class with blue hair and green eyes?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to know? Are you perhaps going after her like everybody else."

"I don't even have the slightest indication of doing so. But judging from your glances to your left, is she in that group of people over there?"

There were a bunch of people huddled around a table and talking excitedly, mostly comprised of girls and a few guys. If there was any reason for them to that, it would be a person, and if it was a person, it would most likely be a new student.

' **How did you guys divine that the new girl was the one I saw yesterday?"**

" _Anime tropes. Ava scanned your books and she realised it was the only option."_

" **So you guys based this on an anime trope? There's a difference between anime and reality."**

" _This trope might have been correct."_

"Yes, she is. Do you know her?"

"I know her somewhat."

I made my way to the group of people and slowly wedged myself to the centre, the students not making any attempt to hold me back for some reason. As soon as I got to the centre, it revealed that the centre of attention was a girl with blue hair and emerald eyes.

" _No doubt this is the same girl. She is perfectly identical to the one from yesterday."_

" _But what if she just happens to have a twin? Or a clone? She could be a possible Host."_

" _Disagree. Occam's Razor."_

Occam's Razor. The principle that the simplest solution tends to be the right one.

The girl was busy talking to everyone else, laughing and smiling like how every person who led a popular and high social-ranking life did. She could be a female version of Hayama, minus the hair and eyes. Oh, mustn't forget the gender as well.

"Excuse me?"

She immediately looked at me, even before I completed my question. Her talks with the others cease and they looked at me as well, evidently confused that someone not from their class was here.

"Could I talk to you for a second?"

She glanced to her left and right. "Here?"

"Outside. Preferably somewhere priv-."

"Ye-! Oh, um sorry, I meant to say, yes?"

She fumbled over her words and I nodded. I headed towards the door with her in tow behind me.

As we approached the door, I heard whispers coming from behind me. It brought me back to middle school, just like the time I had approached Kaori to confess to her, bringing a result that would prove to be both a mistake and a blessing.

It didn't faze me one bit. Go ahead with your rumours.

As soon as we were sufficiently away from any students, I stopped, hearing the footsteps behind me stop as well.

" _Play this smart. That fate of the universe is at stake."_

" _Kraue, it is not the universe."_

" _Exaggerations exist for a reason."_

" **Just get ready in case anything happens."**

I turned around, facing her. She was looking into my eyes, filled with nostalgia. "Hachiman?"

I ignored my name. "Who are you?"

"You really have no subtlety, do you?"

"Last I checked, being subtle wasn't always on my list of skills."

She laughed, her voice covered with sadness. "If you don't remember me, I'm Ichiro Megumi."

Ichiro? Where have I heard that before?

Ava sighed. " _Host. You need to read the news more often. Next thing you know, a meteorite will crash 3 blocks away from your house and you won't even realise."_

" **I'm sure that if it did happen, I'd be dead before I figure out what killed me."**

"Talking with the Parasites again?"

I stiffened, the three Parasite in my head high on alert as well. "I don't kno-."

"Yes you do.", she stepped forward, resting her hand on my cheek. I almost stepped back from the close proximity. Stay calm, Hachiman, you have a job to do. "I've known since day one."

" _Day one? What's day one?'_

" _I am assuming it's the day where we entered Host's body."_

" _Soooo….like D-day?"_

" _Maybe."_

"You never showed up yesterday.", I told her, "What happened?"

In response, she froze, her eyes twitching. She was clearly nervous. "I, umm…"

"Did you know about the attack there?"

Her eyes flashed with recognition. "The attack…you were there?"

In contrast to hers, I narrowed my eyes. "Was it a coincidence I was sent somewhere to meet you, only to be attacked by a Host?"

"Hachiman, I-"

"Somiel? Is that the name of a Parasite who works for you?"

"Yes."

" _Wait a second, she just readily admitted it?"_

I was confused as well. " **Wouldn't she just have denied it vehemently?"**

" _I cannot say for certain her intentions, but you need to know who she is and everything else."_

"Somiel", she continued, "Is the name of Parasite who inhabited a Host, one that works for me. I didn't show up yesterday because…". She mumbled the last words too soft.

"Sorry."

"I was too nervous! That was the reason." She stared at me for a few more seconds, then she took deep breath to regain her confidence. "Ask what you want. I'll give it to you. But understand that in any circumstance would I have sent something or someone to kill you."

I nodded slightly. "Who are you? All you've told me is your name."

She still didn't remove her hand. "Besides my name, my family is head of a company called I.I., Ichiro Industries. I came here to Soubu yesterday because I wanted to meet you, so I asked you out on a date. Somiel came in my place, but I didn't send that Parasite after you two!"

"What about Blood?"

"Four days ago, I we-", she started, but I cut her off with a 'wait'. I closed my eyes and opened them, seeing Kraue eating a box of brownies.

"Where'd you get those? Actually, why is there even a crunching sound?"

"Are going to ignore that fact she asked you out on a date?"

"I didn't ignore it, a date is technically a social or romantic engagement or appointment, by definition. It's not romantic, so it's social." Just like Haruno.

He stared at me, then got up to his feet, brushing the crumbs off his legs. "I'm beginning to think this is really bad. How sure are you that Psi isn't stealing your intelligence?"

"Sorry?"

He started to trudge towards where Psi was floating around. "Psi, I need to ask a question!"

I willed myself back to the outside world. "I had to go talk to my Parasites."

"About that Parasite, Blood, I came here last week as a sort of preparation beforehand. There, I came across a Parasite who was stalking around the room where you and those two girls were. That led to two days ago, when I killed that Parasite and his Host."

" _Confused. So that was who I sensed outside?"_

"I took him to one of the labs, where they tested on him for more information. Just yesterday, they, some people who work for me, brought him back and put him behind the bush. They set-up the whole area to make it look like a suicide."

" _But they misplaced the shoe-mark. It would have made sense if it was facing outside, since it's impossible for anyone to stand on the window ledge."_

" _Then what about my scans?"_ , Psi interjected, " _Was it a coincidence that my scan happened at the exact moment Blood's body was right outside the room?"_

"Then I met you. At first, it was impossible to resist.", she said, "But I couldn't help myself. After 7 years I just had to do it. To talk to you, to make sure it was you. And it was."

" _Ask her if she knew about those darts."_

I heeded their advice. "Were the darts yours?", I asked.

Her face displayed signs of befuddlement. "What darts?"

"The ones used to hit those muggers. The ones that killed that Host." I couldn't tell if she was playing dumb or really didn't know what I was talking about.

"I never ordered anyone to shoot any darts."

" _Host. She doesn't know what you're talking about."_

The whole story would have made sense except for one problem. "I'm sorry I don't know you.", I said, "So how can I trust you?"

"But you do!", she suddenly cried out, looking frustrated, "You do! It's been years we've been together and, and years I've spent searching so you have to believe me!"

I looked away. Whatever I was prepared to do, it certainly wasn't trying to calm down a hysterical girl. I was weak against such people. "I'm sorry.", was all I could say.

Her hands dropped down to her sides, hanging limply. Her head also drooped, limp as well. In fact, comparing her to a puppet who just lost all its strings would be a very precise metaphor of what just happened to her.

"It's them, isn't it?", she whispered.

"Them?"

" _Who's 'them'? Some cult or something?"_

" _Really helpful. Please close your jaw."_

" _They_ did **this** to you, didn't _they_?!", she shrieked grasping the front of my shirts, pulling me in close and almost making me lose my balance. " _They_ told you not to trust me! _They_ convinced you, didn't they?"

"Ichiro-san, wh-?" Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say as she grew even wilder.

" _They_ made you trust _them_! _They_ turned you against me! You can't trust _them_ Hachiman, only me, just me, just me, me me me me only!"

" _Dude, I really really think you should go."_ , Kraue nervously stated, " _Like, right now! She's freaking me out."_

" _Terrifying. My circuits are tingling."_

" **I came here and now you want me to leave?"**

" _Host.",_ Psi said, obvious fear lingering in his voice, " _This person...scares me than any other Parasite."_

Her eyes looked into mine and vice versa. I stifled the urge to run when I saw what emotions were running rampant. It was a mixture of anger, insanity and a feeling that I knew was unique to only one set of characters anywhere.

She moved her arms from my chest to around my neck and brought her face close in. She smiled, but it contained raw, primal emotions behind it. A nerve-wracking sensation lying underneath her face.

"But you don't need to worry..."

" _I have the feeling something frightening is coming."_

"...because, after all…"

" _Host. What would you describe her as?"_

"...I'm finally with you…"

" _Would now be a good time to utilise our powers to escape?"_

Right now, I wanted to heed their advice. To stop whatever she was saying or to escape the incoming event. But no matter how hard I tried to move my legs, they wouldn't budge. What are you doing, idiot, nincompoop-?

"...Ha-chi-man."

* * *

 **Concord's Note:** So finally, the new OC is introduced. After 7 chapters, minus the prologue, I finally got the OC to appear from the shadows. The mysterious girl finally being revealed.

I hope you were able to make sense of what happened. It was confusing, I know, largely my fault. However, we see some mysteries being revealed at the cost of one, large problem heading in Hachiman's direction.

In response to her personality, I hope I don't need to tell you all what kind of person I plane for her to be, but I tried my best to write it as well as I could. Trust me, it's going to get better.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - Arc 2: Two Days In A Row And A Look At Hint Of More Trouble**

We stayed frozen in the position for a while longer, her hands enclosing my neck and me, bending over her, my arms by my sides as I tried to comprehend what was happening. To any third party or viewer, this might have seemed like something taken straight out of an m-rated novel, but to me it was the last thing I would have dreamt of.

Her expression contorted into a gentle smile and she started to slowly press herself against me. I willed myself to move, but nothing happened.

Was this what it meant to be frozen in fear?

" _I, I'm scared. That's the one word that sums up my feelings right now."_

" _Terrifying. I thought Blood's presence would be at the top, but she completely dominated the list."_

I silently hoped for something to come, even someone. Sure, considering the compromising situation we were in it was inevitable that rumours would spread. Like always, they would change to fit the situation that I was the bad guy and Ichiro was the victim.

My hope came true when the bell rang, signalling the end of recess. With a pout, or rather, she unwrapped her arms from my neck. Inside, I was quietly screaming with relief. The tension in me had almost reached the breaking point.

"I have to go now.", she sadly said, "Let's meet after school, 'kay Hachiman?"

Sorry, I really preferred that we didn't meet ever again.

"I have club, so I can't come." As I was telling her my excuse, I slowly started to back away, quietly but as fast as I could without her noticing it.

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, because her eyes once again filled with murderous intent and a shadow seemed to fall upon her. "Is it because you want to meet _them_ instead of me?"

"No no no!", I quickly said, waving my hands, "It's just that I haven't been there in a long time."

She suddenly transformed back to her cheerful and less scary-ish self. "Oh, ok! See you then!"

With that, Ichiro Megumi left me back in the corridor, standing still and barely breathing.

" _Damn…Host, I hereby retract all statements I have made about all those other girls. Being you sucks."_

" **Actually Kraue, it's the opposite. You-."**

" _Were you just going to launch into an explanation about how 'youth is a lie' or something?"_

" **Not exactly."**

Psi interrupted the conversation. " _Host, you should head back to your classroom."_

I continued to stare in front of me. "That I should.", I muttered.

As I walked, my footsteps echoed throughout the corridor and I wondered if someone was stalking me, stepping at the exact moment I did to mask their own steps. It wasn't surprising considering what I just saw.

* * *

Finally, school ended and I walked out of the classroom doors, heading towards the corner where Yuigahama met me and leaning against the wall.

I took my book out and started reading it. It was about a person who started writing to escape the perils and disasters of reality, saying how 'evil' and 'malicious' it was to continue living in a world he couldn't change. Writing was his way of travelling to another world, universe even, and designing it the way he wanted it to be.

Free, cheerful, peaceful. No sicknesses, wars, conflicts, nothing. A 'perfect' world, the ideal world.

Foolish.

No matter how hard your escape into another universe, how far you've travelled to reach another galaxy, the tethers of reality will always pull you back from your temporary paradise and make you live another day in the hell you've tried to escape.

So what do you do instead of temporarily journeying into paradise? Permanently make the world around you better.

Unfortunately, I'm one of the last people who can accomplish such an extreme goal.

My thoughts were broken from something suddenly hitting my leg. I tensed, only relaxing when I realised it was Yuigahama with a pouting face.

"Hikki."

"Yeah?"

"...Nevermind."

She followed that up by sticking out her tongue, leaving me behind. What was that for? I don't recall doing anything to irritate you today. In fact, I clearly remember you making you extremely happy when I accepted your offer of a free lunch.

I trailed behind her, thinking about all the possible scenarios when I got to one conclusion.

Could she have seen me?

" _No. You and that other girl were the only two people present. She is upset over something else."_

" _Isn't it like, bad to make girls cry?"_

" **Hey, I have no idea what I did besides act how I usually do."**

" _Well, you might want to ask her why. But be careful. One wrong word and, BOOM!"_

" _Kraue, please stop enacting a tribal dance while waving your arms over your head. It is unsightly."_

" _It's not a dance, it's an explosion! And that's what you said yesterday as well!"_

I continued walking, speeding up to catch up to Yuigahama, who took one look at my face and turned away.

"Yuigahama?", I asked, "Can I-What happened?"

She whispered in a small voice, loud enough for me to know she's saying something but too soft for me to know what she was actually saying.

"Sorry?"

With a louder voice, she sulkily replied, "You forgot my lunch."

I didn't finish eating her delicious lunch? Now that I realised, I did forget to finish it when the urgent task of my finding Ichiro came up.

"Ah, about that, something urgent popped up."

Lame excuse Hachiman.

You want to tell her that this new girl is now my stalker and is probably roaming this school with a knife in one hand and a gun in the other?

"Meanie."

With that, our conversation finished just as we reached the clubroom door. With a solid 'BANG!' and "Yukinon!", Yuigahama opened the door and dashed towards Yukinoshita, waving her arms in a greeting before hugging the black-haired girl around her neck.

Watching the exchange made me almost feel another pair of arms wrap around my own. I shuddered.

Yukinoshita noticed me. "Hikigaya-kun, how long will you remain standing there?"

"Ah, ok."

I hustled in, taking my seat at my usual spot and taking out my book from earlier. Yuigahama and Yukinoshita were conversing with each other, although it was more of Yuigahama talking and Yukinoshita listening. Meanwhile, I just sat and read my book, trying my best to lose myself in the pages.

" _And here you are trying to do the exact thing you condemned less than 10 minutes ago."_

"' **Condemned' is too strong of a word. Plus, I'm just using it as a temporary distraction."**

" _From what? Or is it a who?"_

" **The latter."**

I read the book, but it was not with the same energy I read with, remembering every page and engrossed in the story. Instead, my head was already cluttered with thoughts and trying to read the book while concentrating on something else proved to be a challenging task.

A few minutes later, I gave up, putting the book down as I stared at the wall in front of me. Every so often I would look towards the door, thinking someone was watching, only to see that there was no one.

What would my next step be? Now that they Host's were trying to get me and knowing there was a stalker on my trail, I had more things in life to worry about.

"Hikigaya-kun, what happened to your hands?", Yukinoshita asked. She was referring to the bandaged-wrapped hands holding my book.

"Cooking accident.", I replied.

"Wah, Hikki? That's where you got it from?"

" _What will you do?"_ , asked Psi, " _That Host was one of many and out there are too many to count."_

" **Did you find anything about the bounty I asked yesterday?"**

" _In fact, I found more than just that. Take a look at this."_

While Yuigahama and Yukinoshita were talking, I closed my eyes and appeared in my head, right in front of a Psi who was much surprised to see me suddenly appear. "Host, look at the list."

The list popped up before me and I scanned my eyes on it. As my eyes scanned the names, I vaguely remembered some names that weren't in their place the last time I checked. Most of the details about each Parasite were removed as well. "What happened?"

"The rankings.", he grimly stated, "They've changed. We'll talk about the information later, but now the numbers in some Parasites have changed. This occurs Parasites are defeated or they win, in which case, they descend or ascend in rank respectively. Alternatively, the rankings can also alter-."

"-if a Parasite dies." I finished his statement for him.

"Yes, which means they are moved towards the death list. I'll search specifically for those who have...passed on."

The list flickered, now showing another bunch of random names and retaining the same format, except underneath the status column, all of them had one word in common.

Deceased.

"Move down the list.", I asked Psi.

As the names slowly went down, I remembered the face of that Host yesterday. Despite his Parasite, he died looking as a human and that was scary enough for me. Even scarier, the police never found his body. I wonder where it went.

Was he somewhere here, among these list of names that went on and on?

"I'm sorry you had to see this.", Psi apologised.

"It's ok, it's not your fault."

Psi looked troubled. "In that case, I have one more thing to show you. It's an entirely different list, still composed of the same names, but the rankings are ordered according to one's price."

"Price?"

In response, another list appeared, this one similar except for the word 'Price' at the top. Here, only the names of each Parasite were shown, as well as their picture of what I presumed to be their Host next to each one.

Psi scrolled down, the list moving quickly before stopping a quarter from the top. He clicked on a random name, a page replacing the list of names.

It contained the name of the Parasite, apparently it was Compound, and other details about him. His face, his class, his level, these were just some of the details present on the page, reminding me of a passport identity page, if they were tailor-made to Parasites. There was a biography below the picture, which was empty.

Other details were his last known location and his Host, which were labelled as unknown. Below, there was an open chat talking between themselves.

" _I hear Compound's just recently reached them level 5 mark. Heard he levelled up from his fight against some Krillian Parasite."_ From MrWeirdo.

" _Anyone know what he exactly does?" The biography's empty as a large pit."_ From Unknown.

" _Y, Com's a sca-ry 1. U no, ever tried fighting that 1?"_ From 112233.

I scrolled down before the words could impact my brain and somehow slowly affect me into speaking like them. "This is...social media."

"Parasitic social media, to be more exact.", Psi explained, "This was one of the most recent additions the list. In fact, it was uploaded precisely at 3am last night."

"This contains the bounty and details of every other Parasite?"

"Yes. It was recently set up, which made me confused as to how that Parasite from earlier managed to receive it ahead of others. As it turns out, I've been looking through the channels and found out that the list was sent ahead of the release date to other Parasites. Who was chosen, I have no idea nor why they were picked, but I am guessing this list was where the Host received information about you."

I was curious about one thing though. "Have you checked your-"

"-ranking? I have. Not much is on it, except for you being identified as the host and a bounty of 40000 yen listed as the price. Kraue and Ava have the same information as my page, although I am still unsure whether it means 40000 yen for your death or for each of the three Parasites killed."

"I'd prefer no one died at all.", I mumbled. This was beginning to sound like some sort of sick game.

"Whatever it is, we should be extra cautious now that three Parasites have been listed as residing in the same host."

"Is three normal?"

"It is usually one."

I let the information sink in. "Ok.", I said, "Tell Kraue and Ava I'm going back now."

"I have classified both lists as the 'Rankings' and the 'Prices'." Psi looked at me. "I bid you good luck. Especially with

those girls."

"Relax, you make it sound like I'm going to die."

According to the way things were going, dying might just be an everyday fear.

I blinked, going back to my chair as I felt myself being shaken. I turned around, only to realise it was Yuigahama shaking my shoulders. "Hikki! Hikki!", she yelled.

Her voice shook me out of my dazed concentration and I cringed at the high

-pitched and loud yelling of words right next to my ear. "I'm here?"

"Hikigaya-kun, it's very rude to ignore someone calling your name continuously for five minutes."

"I was asleep.", I said to the ice queen, "What did you need me for?"

"Yuigahama-san wanted to ask for your opinion on the new girl in my class."

Instantly wide awake, I suddenly moved my chair and leaned forward on the table, dislodging Yuigahama from my shoulders. "Eh? A-about her?"

Both of them noticed my reaction. "Yes. You visited her in my classroom, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

Suddenly, Yukinoshita's eyes glared at me, as well as the disappearance of a happy and cheerful mood from Yuigahama. "Hikki...you wouldn't have skipped eating my lunch for her, would you?"

"You could put it like that, in a way." I answered nervously.

" _Error. Poor usage of words."_

"I recall clearly", Yukinoshita mentioned, "that you and her left the classroom together. When she returned, she was, what was the word, blushing."

"Now wait a moment, you two.", I held my hands up in mock surrender, "I did not do whatever you guys are thinking of now."

"The evidence seems pretty stacked against you, Hikigaya-kun. To confess to a girl is…revolting."

"Oi, I only confessed once and that was to Orimoto. You know, that girl back in the cafe."

"I'm well aware of who Orimito-san is."

" _Shouldn't you just come clean?"_ , Kraue asked.

" **I guess telling them at a crazy and maniacal girl who is stalking me has now entered my life and somehow knows of the three of you in my head?"**

Despite my 2nd attempt at using sarcasm in my whole life, it didn't elicit the reaction I wanted. Apparently I needed to work on it more. " _Yeah, right? Isn't that what friends are for?"_

" _Kraue, Host does not have friends."_

" **Currently I don't. I thrive on not having any."**

" _Disgusted. Such a shameless and proud response to a question that deserves embarrassment and shame."_

" _Can we get back to the situation at hand?"_

Yuigahama and Yukinoshita were staring at me inquisitively, wondering what I had done with a seemingly random girl. "Yukinon, are you talking about that girl who arrived yesterday when Hikki wasn't here?"

"She is.", I cut in before Yukinoshita replied with some remark that would make me be seen in a worse light. "We just talked about, yesterday, because I met her yesterday?"

If any of them noticed the sentence changing from a sentence to a statement, they didn't show it. "That still doesn't explain the blushing."

"The weather was just too hot for her, so she went back to her class." Times like this was where I depended on my virtually non-existent luck. Every other aspect of my life was filled to the brim with misfortune.

Thankfully, they appeared to believe me and dropped the subject. "I guess it does make sense.", Yukinoshita said while rubbing her forehead.

I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. One disaster down, who-knows-how-many-more to go. Man, did I _love_ life.

" _Incredible."_ Ava said, " _I thought they would have reacted differently."_

" **In what way?"**

" _...Host. Let's just say I'm in no place to tell you why."_

Her cryptic message was followed by silence, a bit of quiet muttering and a return. " _Host. Because we seem to have enough time on our hands and you, according to Kraue, are being 'useless', Psi has volunteered to inform you about the next category of Parasites."_

" _Wait a second, I'm pretty sure I never called you that. Like about 90%."_

" **Really?"**

" _Ok, maybe 75%."_

" _..."_

" _Fine, 40%!"_

" _Much obliged. Moving on, Host, I will now proceed to inform you about the Category B Parasites. If you have any queries or concerns, please feel free to raise them to clear your doubts in any matter."_

Like a soldier who was about to be sent off into a foreign land, I listened carefully, making sure to not miss anything.

" _Category A Parasites change or transform the Host's body into one similar to the structure of the Parasite. Category B Parasites, however, enhance the Host'a body. A Host will retain the same body and structure, except they now possess the ability to utilise the powers of the Parasite."_

" **Ok."**

" _As an example, let us take an example of a hypothetically built Parasite, we will call him X. X is a Parasite who can, let us satay, create water. As a Category B Parasite, X can enhance his Host's body to produce water, through your earthly science or whatever laws of science limit his species. This would be exceedingly different if he were to be a Category A species, like Kraue-"_

" _What?!"_

" _Nothing! Anyways, like Kraue, who transforms your body so that you can do things he does. As I stated before, your body structure remains the same, which means that you are still vulnerable and weak to...whatever you are weak to."_

" **Ok."** This was already a lot of information to take in and memorising them would be a challenge.

" _As a mind-class and Category B Parasite, my powers are to deploy barriers and portals using psionic energy. That is all I can grant for now, but there's no telling whether these are the extent of what I can produce or if there are more."_

" **Portals...is that how you transferred me to my house?"**

" _Partially. Kraue carried you to your house and I created a portal from the outside to the inside. The reason I could not teleport you directly was that I had no knowledge nor information on what your house looked like until I got a better view. The other was also the fact that a humanoid lizard carrying you would be hard to explain to your family."_

" **Then how did you know where my house was in the first place?"**? I asked, intrigued.

Psi coughed. " _We may have dug into your personal belongings."_

" **What?"**

" _Ava kept entering all possible 4-digit passcodes into your phone until we struck the correct one."_

" **Wouldn't it have locked for an hour plus?"**

" _Ava said she managed to disable that function."_

" **How?"**

I imagined Psi shrugging. " _I do not know. That is what she said. By the way, if I may ask, what is the significance of the numbers 0303 in that or-?"_

" **It's nothing."** , I interrupted, a little bit too fast. I might have raised suspicion, but he would never know why. " **Just continue."**

" _Are you not mad about the fact we delved into your private belongings without your permission?"_

" **You saved my life. If you didn't, I'd probably be dead."**

" _That is quite true. However, I am still thoroughly unconvinced the numbers hold no value. Anyway, my powers are to create portals and shields. To understand it better, what I do is that I open a literal, circular portal to another place. I am limited to the places where I go, since I need remember what the destination looks like. In short, you cannot travel to a place if you do not know what it looks like. This does not mean you need to remember every single detail, just a more-than-general memory will suffice."_

" **How much is more-than-general?"**

" _That is subjective, so you know if you manage to open the portal. One more things, the portal dimensions can be as wide and tall as you wish it to be, but it will be impossible without enough energy and practice."_

" **What about the shield?"**

" _Host, I pray this does not offend you, but you are similar to an eager learner. You did not strike me so from your interactions and behaviour."_

Psi was right. I didn't think I was the type to ask so many questions. " _ **I'm not offended. This whole concept is very vast, so I need to know what I can and cannot do."**_

" _Ah, ok. Thank you. Back to the shield, if it makes it any clearer, think of it as an energy shield, like the ones you encounter in games. The molecules literally stop moving at all and their energy is transferred to the surroundings molecules around them. By doing this and combining with plasma I produce with self-made lightning, I can create a barrier that can deflect attacks."_

" **That's actually indigenous."**

" _When the molecules stop moving, any attacks or projectiles hitting the shield should have their energy transferred towards the molecules, which then transfer that energy to other molecules. Sort of like a shockwave, where a molecule will quickly transfer energy from it to the surrounding molecules, causing in to lose energy quickly and hence, causing the molecule it self to stop moving."_

The whole thing sounded OP as heck, but I knew there had to be a drawback somewhere. " **What's its weakness?"**

" _For the shield barrier to be dissipated, the molecules require a minimum amount of energy for them to be displaced. The main weakness if that if an area were to be hit with constant attacks or one, strong attack, the molecules would move out of formation and the shield barrier would break, sending a feedback signal to your brain. This can cause confusion in the mind and you might be confused or disoriented for a while, preventing you from deploying another shield, by which you might be injured or hurt."_

" **This is a lot to take in. I know I mentioned it before, but I might be able to make sense of all this."**

" _This is just the basics of how it works. Kraue did not tell you the complications and the more difficult avenues of how you transform, so I am assuming that you do not need to know unless you wish to."_

" **No thanks."** My head was swarming with information and I grasped it as thought it would help prevent it exploding from overflowing content. I glanced to my left, only to see Yukinoshita drinking her tea cup and Yuigahama on her phone, typing away.

" _That ends the explanation of my powers. You can go ahead and attempt to operate them, but I highly suggest to do it when you are alone or not in the public eye."_

" **I get that. Anything I should also take note off?"**

" _One more thing. Your destinations are not only subject to your mind but mine as well. That means you can travel to places you have not seen before but I have and vice versa. I will inform Kraue and Ava that I have finished explaining and Ava will seek the best and earliest time to tell you of hers."_

"Yukinon, Hikki, I just remembered, did you hear about the building that was destroyed yesterday?"

I froze in place while Yukinoshita shook her head. "I was not made aware of it, what happened?"

"The news said the place was destroyed, like in some attack.", Yuigahama exclaimed, using her hands to demonstrate and emphasise what had happened, "Like there was a 'BOOM' and 'BANG' and the whole place was destroyed!"

"That was the third time you mentioned destroyed, Yuigahama."

"Iroha-chan didn't come to school today because she was resting, you know? She told me she was inside!"

I winced. I forgot about Ishikki and Haruno, not really considering what they felt like. In all honesty, I should have at least checked up on both of them. It wasn't easy waking up only to find out you were inside when an attack happened. "Hikki, what about you? Did you hear it?"

I considered telling her I heard it from her already, but I retracted my words. I decided to tell them that I was inside, since they would find out anyways from either Isshiki or Haruno. "I... sort of had the first-hand experience."

"First-hand expectance? What?"

"I mean, I was with Isshiki when it happened.", I mumbled.

"Ehhhh? Hikki, why didn't you tell us?", Yuigahama stuttered, rushing at me with motherly concern. I tried fighting off her attempts to check my face, as though she was a doctor.

Yukinoshita shared the same sentiment. "I agree. What if you had been seriously injured?" For a moment, I thought I detected a tone of worry in her voice.

I waved them off. "I'm fine. Me being here already proves that statement."

" _Host?"_

" **I'm kind of in the middle of something, so make it quick."**

" _There is a, how should I say it, something urgent."_

" **This"** , I thought, trying to fend off the pink-haired girl, " **is also urgent."**

" _Yes, but your phone just got a message."_

" **How urgent is it?"**

" _The urgentest of urgents."_

" **That's not even a word."**

I took out my phone and went to my inbox, finding a few messages, including a new one from an unknown sender. I opened it, a short sentence appearing on the screen.

 _Hello Hachiman._

I froze, a chill running up and down my spine. There wasn't only one person in the world who called me Hachiman, but my instincts told me there was only one who would send me this.

 _Why haven't you come outside yet? I'm still here, you know?_

The assault on me stopped and Yuigahama bent her body to get a look at my phone, her face right next to mine and almost touching. "Hikki, what's that?", she asked.

I angled my phone and twisted my body away so only I was able to see the message. 'It's nothing, just some unimportant messages."

 _You told me it you didn't come because you had club._

"Hikigaya-kun, if those were important then you wouldn't go to such lengths to keep them hidden.", Yukinoshita said, her interest piqued.

 _Were you lying? Are you lying?_

"It's just like how you don't let people see everything you keep private. They're called that for a reason."

 _I told you they were evil they tried to take you away from me from me from me off all people._

"Ehh? Hikki?", Yuigahama asked, getting a quick look at my phone, "Who's that?"

"Just, Totsuka!", I yelped. I glanced at my phone and the blood drained from my face.

 _I'll kill them slowly, painfully, torturously, for taking you away from me. You're mine and mine only and you will never be anyone else's._

" _How possessive is this girl?"_ , Psi asked. " _The text messages she sends are…"_. He stopped, struggling to find one word that perfectly described all of this.

" _Host. If no action is taken, she might just come to you."_

" _Yeah! I mean, imagine the bloodbath and fight. Just like 'BAM!' and 'POW!'"_

" _Thank you for helping Kraue. We greatly appreciate the help."_

" _No need. I'm fine."_ Kraue said, responding to Psi's statement.

" _...Idiotic. That was sarcasm."_

" _Sar-, what? Sarcotics?"_

Turns out, we have Yuigahama 2.0, if Yuigahama transformed into a male, green lizardman who developed a craving for chocolate brownies.

I had to find a solution to this and fast. Think, Hachiman! How would you stop a woman who extremely possessive of you from going up and starting a fight in school that could end in a scene taken straight out of a horror movie?

" _Well, this is my guess."_ , Kraue said, " _But if this woman is willing to do anything for you, don't you think she would do as you asked?"_

" _Potentially, that idea could work. She would cease any activity and be placated, hopefully, as long as you upheld your end of the bargain."_

" _Disagree. Even if you did, love can triumph over logic and reason. She would ignore everything you said just to ensure you were not neck-deep in trouble."_

Yuigahama was still trying to get a good look at my phone and to stop her, I scooted my chair back, typing a quick message on my phone.

 _I'm fine. I'll meet you in 30 minutes._

After I sent the message, I stared at the screen, my mind whirling from what I just sent. In fact, I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't notice Yuigahama, once again, looking at my phone. "Who are you meeting, Hikki?"

In a much-awaited perfect timing, the reply was sent back. My forehead was beaded with sweat as I thought she might have sent an 'ok' or a destination for our meeting time. Worse, she refused and told me she was right outside the door with a knife in her hand. Instead, it was none of those.

 _I'm fine, Hachiman. Just going home now!_

Eh? What?

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, Yuigahama silently mulled over the text message. "Hachiman?", she whispered.

 _See you tomorrow!_

I slowly lowered my phone, my heart racing as I quickly inhaled and exhaled, aware of the crisis I had just averted. Yukinoshita stared at the two of us, a strange emotion in her eyes. "Hikigaya-kun, Yuigahama-san, both of you are acting out of character today. Did something happen?"

As Yuigahama was still mulling over the cryptic text, I looked at Yukinoshita straight in the eye, relieved on my temporary victory. "No, nothing happened at all."

" _Yay, one point for our team!"_

" _Kraue, aren't you a one-man army?"_

" _Wha-? You heard Host say that?"_

* * *

As I biked home, I couldn't help but occasionally dart my eyes around me, instinctively finding dark and obscured hiding places, such as behind corners and shadows, expecting to see a humanoid shape lurking in one before blinking and realising there was nothing.

" _You are awfully paranoid."_ , Psi noticed, " _Is there any chance it is related to the text messages sent earlier this afternoon?"_

" **As a matter of fact, it has everything to do with this afternoon."**

" _Then I pray your fears will soon be alleviated."_

" **I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon."**

I reached the crossroads, the cars driving by as I waited for the pedestrian light to turn from a red, standing man to a green, walking one. As I stopped my bike, I took out my phone, pretending to be browsing through whatever someone thought I was browsing through, but keeping an eye on my surroundings.

There were a few other people standing at the other corners of the junction. A kid holding a stuffed animal, his mom by his side with one hand holding his hand and the other grasping the front strap of her purple purse. Opposite them, a business man was dressed in a grey suit with a red tie, occasionally glancing at his watch before looking up, a look of urgentess and nervousness in his eyes. He shuffled his feet and I guessed that he was most likely late for something. Whatever it was, I had no intention of knowing.

I put my phone back into my pocket as the light turned green and I sped forward, making sure I didn't accidentally hit or get hit a random vehicle. At this time of the day, drunk drivers were more frequent than usual. I kept my eyes open, hoping that if I were to get into another accident, it would not be a drunk teacher who was stood up for the (insert phone number here) time in a row.

My stomach growled and I realised that everything I ate today still wasn't enough for me. With a resigned sigh, I started to head towards the convenience store where I met Yukinoshita Haruno, who then met my first crush, Orimoto. Even the memory of her talking about me still bothered me.

I looked around for a place to park my bike, finding a bicycle parking area nearby. I would still have to walk to the store since it was a hefty distance away.

As I locked the frame of my bike, Ava spoke up. " _Chilling. This area is so barren and unpopulated."_

" **It's almost evening."**

" _Correction. It is evening."_

" _The multitudes of humans must have gone into their abodes."_

" **Not everyone has. Just most."**

As I headed towards the store, I walked, wondering if I was going to be jumpscared by anyone or anything. Maybe a black limousine would pull up next to me and two burly guards would abduct me, ship me off to a random island with Ichiro-san and stay there for the rest of my life, idiotically wishing for me to go back to Chiba. The thought made me shudder and I started to walk fast. Maybe they'd be less bold if there were at least one or two witnesses.

I noticed the sky getting darker and I increased my walking speed. " **Anything unusual?"**

I took out my phone and read the time. 5:45pm.

" _Not that I can sense."_

" **I see."** There was a nagging thought at the back of my mind and I decided to say it. " **None if you have eaten any food here, have you?"**

Psi was surprised. " _Not really, besides the food you have at home and the time Kraue broke into a bakery to steal food."_

" _Wait a second, you snake!"_

" **In that case"** , I rubbed the back of my head, " **I'll treat you to something."**

" _What is with the offer?"_

" **You guys saved my life. It's the least I can do."**

I registered sobbing somewhere in my brain. " _Su-such a good guy! I- aaaahhh!"_

I tuned out the crying reptile.

My eyes looked around, landing on people and watching them for a while before I looked at another group or individual. The sky was now pitch black and I couldn't see a single star nor the moon, the only light being the man-made light from the buildings and even those were getting dimmer. Feeling that something was off, I checked my phone again.

5:47pm.

Huh?

" **Only two minutes have passed. What's wrong with the sky?"**

" _Huh? Wait, now that you mentioned it, it is darker than usual. Has earth hour come early?"_

" _Impossible. There's nothing to prevent or block out both the lights up there and down below simultaneously."_

" _Well, there's gotta be a reason."_

" _If there is, it is worrying. We are the only ones affected."_ Psi pointed out.

I looked at the other side of the street and every other person there did not seem to be concerned over the fact that all the lights, natural and man-made, were starting to diminish. If anything, they continued on their journey as thought nothing was wrong.

My eyes started to see darkness as light kept fading. " **My vision is going dark!"**

" _Warning! I'm sensing an approaching signature at high speeds! It's coming from...the building?"_

I twisted my body, looking up and seeing only darkness. Every light, if any, were completely gone and I couldn't register anything. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't detect any difference in the surroundings and hence had no idea what was coming.

" _I am deploying a shield now."_ , said Psi, " _Stay inside it at all costs."_

I heard the sound of something being created coming from all around me as I turned around, wondering what the heck was going on. My vision was all dark now and I couldn't see a single thing.

Was this what being blind felt like?

My heart started to race and I felt as thought I was having a pain attack.

I exerted my hands in front of me and wildly attempted to grasp anything I could grab, anything physical. I stumbled around and reached my arms out, closing my fist only to grab thin air.

I flowered my panicked stepping into shuffling, slowly moving in one direction as I reasoned to myself the best course of action. If Psi's shield domes could block attacks, then surely I would be able to touch it. I was bound to hit it sometime soon.

I wondered what I looked like right now. Were my movements akin to that of a zombie.

" _Dome completed."_

I kept moving until I collided with something, almost making me fall over. I slowly and tenderly reached in the direction I collided with, my hands extending until they reached a wall. I slowly spread my hands out, feeling the smooth and cool feeling of the wall. My hands roamed all over it, the texture being similar to ice.

To experiment, I transformed my fist, feeling the bandages rip, and tried punching the wall, feeling pain course through my hand as well as a sizzling sound come from the wall.

If I were a bystander, I would be captivated my this. These abilities I have, first transformation, now producing portals and shields?

What else would be new?

Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering assaulted my ears and I clutched them in hopes of preserving my eardrums. Have some mercy on them, would you?

" _Something has broken down the shield!"_

In response to my plea for my eardrums, two hands wrapped themselves around my neck and I found myself choking, breathing for air. I sputtered and gasped, trying to inhale any free bit of oxygen I could.

The mysterious attacker pulled me somewhere, the destination I couldn't say, nor could I know.

"Who are you? A scientist? A bodyguard? Who?!", my attacker hissed, pinning me against a wall judging from the pain from my spine and the physical contact of something behind me. I grabbed his hands and tried to pry them off, but they had reverted back into my human form. The fact that my wounds were still healing did not help as it only produced more pain. My throat was still blocked and I felt my vision fading. Hehe, I was kidding.

It couldn't fade because I couldn't see anything.

" _Is it really the time now to start making jokes?"_

The attacker loosened his grip, allowing me to inhale more air and slip my fingers through the gap between his hand and my throat. "What connection do you hold?", he hissed again. Now that I was closer, I could tell that it was raspy and deep, like a monster straight out of someone's nightmares.

Like a monster who lurks in the dark.

"To….who?", I managed to ask, my whole body bent on survival.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say because he only snarled and pulled me towards him just to slam me into the wall again.

"Gaaaagh!" Pain shot from my back to my brain and I wriggled in his grasp. The aching of my spine only served as a motivator for me to struggle more. The wall cracked behind me, the cracks spreading out like a spiderweb, with me being at the centre.

The attacker hissed and, although I couldn't see, he moved his face near mine, his voice louder and his breath hitting my face. "One chance.", he whispered, his voice concealing a torrent of anger and rage, "Who. Are. You?"

" _We need to move now! Kraue!"_

" _On it. Host, transform!"_

In my haze and confusion, I was able to transform my hand and with a growl, I easily pried my attacker's hands off me, much to his surprise. I pushed him back and lunged forward, grabbing any part of him I could and throwing him to my left.

The impact, loud and deafening, made me a bit calmer. The darkness on my eyes started to disappear and I was able to see where I was. We were in an alleyway, the walls in front and behind me casting a dark shadow in the narrow space. I turned my head towards the direction where I threw the guy and he groaned, standing up with rubble falling off him.

He growled at me and I could almost envision him baring his teeth. "Die!"

" _Up the wall! Go!"_

Without hesitation, I turned and dug my fingers into the wall. I had taken a rock climbing course once, although it was sometime around my second year in middle school and I had long since opted to stay indoors and read. I started to scale the wall, scurrying up the brick-red wall by digging my feet and hands into the walls to form a handhold.

This really damn cool.

I reached the top, launching myself into the air and landing on my feet after doing a flip. The ground cracked underneath my feet and I winced, hoping that nobody would come out to investigate.

Kraue started to clap. " _10/10. Good job!"_

" **Thanks."**

" _Query. I don't suppose both of you could stop and run now?"_

" _Why don't we check where he is?'_

" _Bad idea, Kraue. The unexpected comes from the expected."_

" _What does that mean?"_

I looked behind me, a dark object shooting up from the alleyway, flying up high and then coming straight at me, dark smoke trailing behind it. It was just like the death eaters from Harry Potter, if they kept on spiralling as they traveled.

The dark smoke collided with me, launching me back with my back on the ground and causing me to slide against the roof. The smoke, in an instant, formed a man who grabbed my collar and lifted my head up to meet his. Without a word, he unsheathed a knife and from his belt and raised it up, ready to strike.

He brought it down and at the same time, I twisted my body, causing it to dig into the ground next to my ear, the blade buried so deep only the hilt was visible. I bent my legs and kicked his chest, causing him to fly into the air. He turned into the dark smoke again and flew away from me before making a u-turn.

This wasn't a normal human.

This could only be due to one thing.

Just like before, I crouched and ran along the ground at high speeds, scaling the rooftops in an attempt to escape the dark smoke heading towards me.

A note, by dark, I meant pitch-black, squid-ink dark.

" _What do we do!?"_ , Kraue yelled in my head.

" _We run! Buy us some time to figure out how to defeat this Host."_

" _What if we can't?"_

" _Then we run."_

" **I know you guys are worried, but this is my head. Stop yelling!"**

" _Apologies. Kraue, check the list, see if there's any information on this guy."_

I kept on moving, the attacker following me through the air. I leapt up, propelling myself to the buildings on the other side of the road as I desperately hoped no one would see me. I was also counting that maybe he would retreat or take another route in order to avoid the chance of being seen.

Unfortunately, my slim hope was diminished as he only turned and followed me.

Without warning, slight pain shot through my cheek and I winced, feeling warm liquid flowing down.

Blood. This person was trying to kill me.

The second attempt in two days. Can't I get any rest.

More knives fell down and I bit my tongue to keep the pain in when one of them dug into my leg. I stumbled, causing my to lose my balance and roll forward due to my inertia. I fell off the building and off the ledge.

My body fell on the ground, sending waves of pain throbbing throughout my body.

It seemed that pain was becoming more of a normal thing for me.

I lay down on my back, tired and exhausted to move. Despite my powers, I still hadn't gotten used to so much pain. Maybe two days in a row was too much for me.

" _Get up! We still need to keep on moving!"_

Right, I needed to ru-.

My thoughts were interrupted by the black smoke appearing far above, where it moved in a circle around the place where my body was.

Like a vulture, it was circling its prey.

It then headed down vertically towards me, like a comet. I raised my arms up as some sort of shield, hoping that they could somehow prevent my death.

2 metres above me, it stopped, crashing into a blue, transparent wall, resulting in it being launched back away from me and crashing into a dumpster. For the second time in less than 10 minutes, the attacker seriously needed to get some sort of cushion.

I looked up, the blue and transparent wall forming a dome around me. I reached up and touched it, feeling the same coolness and smoothness I had experience earlier.

So this was the energy shield, huh?

Using my remaining strength, I got up to my feet, using my arms and hands as support by pushing off the ground. With a groan, I stood up, truding over to where the guy was.

" _What are you doing?"_ , asked Psi, " _Should we not run?"_

I answered back. " **I would, but I'm making sure he's not dead."**

" _He tried to kill you."_

" **And I'm not going to kill him."**

The face of the Host who died in the mall was enough to prevent me from leaving. I wouldn't leave without making sure he was dead. I couldn't.

Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't witness another death.

I stopped in front of him, my hands, eyes and feet transformed in the event I needed to make a quick escape. He was sitting down on the ground, his back against the dumpster as his head slowly turned to look at me.

For the first time, I got a good look at him. He was dressed in some sort of bluish garb, his face covered with a helmet that looked futuristic. The two lights on it were cracked and broken, one turning on and off irregularly and the other dead. He was dressed in a bluish cape and had a hood covering the top and back of his head.

I noticed his hands. One of them was lying uselessly by his side while the other was holding a knife.

In an instant, he tried to stab with me with the silver knife. Instead of dodging, I quickly grabbed it with my hand, the green and scale fingers wrapping around his and forcing him to drop the knife on the floor, where it fell with a clattering sound.

We stayed like this for a bit longer, him on the ground and me standing next to him, one his hands caught in mine. He wrestled for his hands for a while and conceded, his arm going limp.

Finally, he spoked. "Who…are you?"

"The person who's not going to kill you.", I responded.

He laughed. "You...should. Isn't...that what you...have to...do?" He spoke slowly and painfully, as if his throat hurt every time he said a word.

"Let me ask you that question. Who are you?", I asked, letting go of his hand and kneeling on the ground next to him.

" _Why'd you let go of his hands?"_

" **He's no longer a threat. Look at him."**

He looked at me. "I..assume...you...know-."

"What you are? You're just like me."

"Wrong...you're...just...like me.", he said. "I...was here….first. Tell me...who you are."

"I don't even know what you're talking about.", I answered.

"Yes you do!", he shouted before coughing, "Ichiro...you know them."

Ichiro?

Ichiro-san?

The blue-haired girl entered my mind.

" _You knew her after all?"_

" **I didn't even know she existed. This whole thing's a huge misunderstanding."**

My attacker held up a photo. I took it and looked at the image. It was a photo of me with her arms around my neck.

"When did you take this?", I asked, waving it in front of his face.

"You...work...for her.", came the reply.

I had to clear this up. "I don't. She just suddenly appeared, claim she knew me and is now after me."

" _You're already trusting him?"_

He stared at me for a while and I got the feeling he was talking to someone. Probably his Parasite. His head lowered in defeat as he finally realised I was telling the truth. "Ok."

" _Surprised. That was...quick."_

" **Unexpected, remember?"**

"You...don't... work for them?", he asked.

"I don't even know who's 'them', but yes."

"Then it seems...I made a mistake."

" _A very large one, if I may add. By the way, I suggest you leave now. Only time knows what will happen if someone were to mistakenly stumble upon you two."_

I grabbed the attacker and jumped up, using the ledges of the balconies as stepping stones until we reached the food, where I gently laid him down. He was still staring at me and with that mask on, I couldn't tell what kind of expression he had on his face.

"Thank you.", he said.

I ignored him and walked to the ledge facing the street, gazing down at the roads and pavements below. It was still filled with people and cars travelling left and right and a nagging thought entered my mind.

How many people, down there, were Host's?

How many had a Parasite living in their brains?

If they had, could they sense two people, just like them, on top of this roof?

" _That is a scary thought. How many of me, us, are out there?'_

I heard footsteps come from behind me and I whirled around, expecting an attack. The Host, still clad in his gear, walked beside me, standing next to me and looking at the street below. "My throat's healing.", he said, "I want to apologise. I'm sorry."

"I accept."

We continued to stare down at the people before he decided to speak. "You know", he said helpfully, "If you're willing, I could train you."

I looked at him. "Where'd this come from?"

"I…don't really know.", he shrugged, "I just recalled your flight earlier. You attacked and moved without any skill. I just thought that, maybe I could help you as a sort of compensation."

"This is moving too fast. We barely know each other and now you want to help me?"

"It's how I started off as well.", he said, "I just feel, really guilty, you know?"

His raspy and deep voice didn't help him that much.

"What do you mean by 'started'?"

"I mean how I became like this." He gestured down his body. "I think you could really use some help."

"You obviously know I'm a Host. Why not ask someone else?"

"...I don't know if there'll be someone else. Plus, I...there's another reason. I can't tell you."

" _For someone attempting to convince you, he's doing a horrible job at it."_

He started to walk away, leaving me behind. "I need to go now. I've had enough for today."

A few steps later, I sighed. Might as well get more information on this thing. "If I do want to do it", I told him, effectively stopping him in his tracks, "where do I meet you?"

He pondered for a moment. "Would the park near your school be ok?"

The park. The place where this started. Where I received these Parasites and my abilities.

"...I guess it could."

"Then, would Monday be fine? Around 9pm?"

"I can manage."

"Ok." With that, he jumped off, dark smoke rising up a few seconds later and flying away.

" _...That was anticlimactic."_

" _Agreed. You decided to accept his offer?"_

" **I don't know. For some reason, there's a small part of me that wants to do this."**

" _So in less than 20 minutes, you met this guy who tried to kill you, convinced him you aren't in any way affiliated with that Ichiro girl besides being her lover interest and now want to train underneath him as some sort of mento? Like Batman and Robin?"_

" **Maybe."**

If anything, I needed to go home now.

* * *

After dealing with a fussy Komachi, who was completely shocked at my appearance, I went to my bedroom. "I really want to sleep now."

" _Maybe today would have ended better if you checked your appearance for any blood marks and ripped holes better. In spite of that, I applaud you for doing your best to hide your hands."_

I laid on my bed, thinking back to earlier.

 _If you're willing, I could train you._

I rolled over on my stomach, feeling the comfortable bliss of my bed as my stomach slowly sank in the softness. Truly, this was the best way to sleep.

I had 3 days to make a decision.

Still though, why did I feel like I forgot something important?

* * *

 **Concord's note:** Hello readers and viewers! Thanks for all the reviews regarding my latest chapter! Yes, we now have a yandere on the loose for Hachiman.

On a side note, I think the worst part of this story I've written so far was the interaction between the Service Club members when Megumi called. I feel it was really out of character for Hachiman, so I was kind of was hesitant to post this chapter until I remade that part. But I was too lazy, so here you go.

As an update, I reworked the Prologue to make it easier to identify who is talking. To the person who commented on it, I made it that way since you're not expected to know who's talking, why they're talking and what they're doing. Only when you go through the story chapter by chapter do you understand. Still, the effect was completely obliterate since I uploaded the first 6 chapters in one day.

I also have one request. If any of you could give tips of how to make Megumi a good yandere, that would be greatly appreciated.

By the way, I made an extra scene down below, so feel free to read.

* * *

Ichiro Megumi POV

I hummed and rolled in my bed, holding the sausage pillow between my knees and my chest as I rolled left and right. My heart was burning with excitement and a warm feeling spread throughout my body.

A knock on the door interrupted my rolling. "Mistress, are you ok?"

"I'm fine! And call me Ichiro-san!", I told Kurusu, my personal bodyguard.

"Umm...ok Mis-, sorry, Ichiro-san."

I continued to hum joyfully, the event coming to the front of my mind.

His eyes, face, warmth, smell…I wished that bell never rang so I could have continued to bask in his arms forever. I was so close!

But this afternoon…

I waited for 30 minutes in front of the gates. It turned to an hour. Then two hours. Then 4. By that time, I accepted that he was not going to show.

My humming stopped as I silently thought about why he never showed up. Hachiman would have showed up, it just wasn't his fault. I love him, he love me, there's absolutely no reason to not come!

Was is those two girls he was with? Did they use their damn bodies and cheap tricks to steal him away from me?

No, Megumi, Hachiman's too smart!

They must have done something. They must have force Hachiman to stay with them, while they approached him and slowly…

The mere thought burned me with rage. They both deserve to die horrible deaths to not see the light of day leave leave leave me with my Hachiman you bitches.

I slid three items from underneath my pillow. "The first one…will go to the pink-haired girl!", I said, holding up a pair of scissors.

I lifted the next one up. "The second... will go the the black-haired one." This time, it was a kitchen knife.

I then pushed the sausage pillow on the other side of the bed and straddled it looking down on it with loving eyes. "The last one", I said holding a bunch of chains, "will make sure he never leaves."

On the pillow, a unmoving image of Hikigaya Hachiman didn't respond.


End file.
